Even though Jimmy West (Ryan Phillippe) is finally on the brink of leaving his Texas home and going to college, part of him feels obligated to stay behind to care for his mother (Nastassja Kinski) and two younger brothers and protect them from Jimmy's hot-tempered father, Ray (John Savage). A Vietnam War veteran whose pent-up anger holds them all hostage, Ray also harbors a dark secret, and it seems he'll literally kill to keep it from surfacing.