Three American servicemen return home to Boone City after the war, to find their lives irrevocably changed by their military experience.
Homer Parrish has lost both hands in grenade attack. He is afraid to meet his finacee and the rest of his family. He has become distant from his fiancee and the rest of the family, who urge that their marriage still takes place as scheduled. He puts his financee to the test as he shows her how he removes his prothosis before going to bed.
Al Stephenson, an infantry sergeant during the war, returns to his wife and two children taking on his former job as a bank clerk. But as his family sometimes seems like strangers to him he tries to escape his desorientation by starting to drink heavily.
Fred Derry, a decorated Air Force captain, finds himself stuck in a lousy job and a loveless marriage, while at the same time falling in love with Al's daughter. Together, the three must find a way to come to terms with their experiences...