Coming Home

Captain Bob Hyde prepares for deployment to Vietnam, leaving his wife Sally behind. Sally, a loyal military wife, dreads the prospect of being left alone yet senses the coming changes in her life.

Forced to find housing away from the base, Sally relocates to a beachside apartment and buys a sports car. The new surroundings mark a shift toward independence and a more liberated outlook.

Sally volunteers at a local VA hospital, inspired in part by her bohemian friend Vi Munson. She becomes exposed to veterans' trauma, including Vi's brother Bill, who has recently returned from Vietnam with grave emotional wounds.

There Sally meets Luke Martin, a former high-school classmate who is now a paraplegic and opposed to the war. Luke's bitterness is tempered by Sally's presence as they form a tentative connection.

Luke is released from the hospital and begins to rebuild his life with his own wheelchair. As he regains mobility, his relationship with Sally deepens and he becomes more central to her life.

Sally and Luke's relationship develops into love, and they spend joyful times together, including beach outings. The bond grows despite the shadow of the war that kept them apart from normal life.

Bill, traumatized by his Vietnam experiences, commits suicide by injecting air into his veins. His death sends shockwaves through the VA hospital and intensifies Luke's disillusionment with the war.

Driven by Bill's suicide, Luke chains himself to the gates of a local recruitment center in a vain attempt to stop others from enlisting. He acts as a high-profile symbol of anti-war sentiment.

Sally and Luke make love, confronting his handicap and their growing feelings. Sally experiences her first orgasm, yet both understand their relationship must end when Bob returns.

Bob returns home unexpectedly, claiming he wounded his leg and revealing post-traumatic stress from combat. He starts to confront the changes his absence caused in the family.

Army Intelligence has been spying on Luke since the gate incident and uncovers Sally's affair. The surveillance intensifies tension within the triangle and foreshadows confrontation.

Bob confronts Sally and Luke with a loaded rifle but ultimately turns away from violence. He places his neatly folded Marine dress uniform on the beach and swims naked out to sea to commit suicide, ending the love triangle.