In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and an abusive boyfriend to find a new life in Seattle, where the mom marries a polite garage mechanic. But soon she finds out that he is an abusive and unreasoning alcoholic, and they struggle to maintain hope in an impossible situation as the boy grows up with plans to escape the small town by any means possible. Based on a true story by Tobias Wolff.
A group of recruits go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana's infamous Tigerland, last stop before Vietnam for tens of thousands of young men in 1971.
Reporter Judith Wilkes leaves her husband and two sons in Sydney and goes to Malaysia to cover the story of the Vietnamese boat people. She becomes romantically involved with Kanan, and strikes up a friendship with Lady Minou Hobday, who keeps a regular vigil at "Turtle Beach" where the refugees try to land secretly in the hope that one day her own children will arrive.
Connie Sumner has a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a wonderful son, but she wants more. One day, a handsome stranger approaches her and she becomes obsessed with him and eventually starts an affair. But her selfish actions soon catch up with her.