Coming Home (1978) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Sally begins volunteering at the VA hospital partly because she has plenty of free time after moving off the base, but mainly because her bohemian friend Vi Munson convinces her to visit. Vi's brother Bill has returned from Vietnam with severe emotional wounds and is now a patient at the VA hospital, which motivates Sally to help other veterans dealing with similar trauma.

Foreshadowing: This early decision to volunteer sets the entire story in motion, as it leads directly to her reunion with Luke.

• sally
• va hospital
• volunteer
• vi munson
• bill

Luke chains himself to the recruitment center in protest after his friend Bill commits suicide at the VA hospital. Devastated by Bill's death and disillusioned with the war that caused it, Luke attempts to physically block others from enlisting, acting as a visible symbol of anti-war sentiment despite knowing his act will likely be in vain.

Foreshadowing: This public protest draws Army Intelligence's attention to Luke, later exposing his affair with Sally.

• luke
• protest
• recruitment center
• bill suicide
• anti-war

Bill, a Vietnam veteran suffering from severe emotional trauma, kills himself by injecting air into his veins at the VA hospital. His suicide represents the devastating psychological toll of the war that the veterans carry, and it serves as a catalyst that intensifies Luke's own disillusionment and drives him to protest.

Foreshadowing: Bill's death directly triggers Luke's chaining incident at the recruitment center.

• bill
• suicide
• vietnam veteran
• va hospital
• trauma

Bob returns home earlier than expected because he wounded himself in the leg, though the film implies this may have been self-inflicted to escape combat. Beyond his physical injury, Bob is also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his combat experiences, which becomes evident when he reunites with Sally.

Foreshadowing: Bob's early return disrupts Sally and Luke's relationship and sets up the tragic confrontation.

• bob
• return
• vietnam
• ptsd
• wounded leg

Bob commits suicide by walking into the ocean after discovering Sally's affair with Luke. The combination of his PTSD from the war, the humiliation of being cuckolded, the feeling that his life has fallen apart, and his loss of purpose as a Marine leads him to place his dress uniform on the beach and swim out to sea. His suicide represents the complete psychological breakdown of a man destroyed by war and personal betrayal.

Foreshadowing: Bob's earlier self-wounding and his PTSD foreshadow his ultimate inability to cope with civilian life and this revelation.

• bob
• suicide
• ocean
• affair
• ptsd
• military

After Bob uncovers the affair and confronts both Sally and Luke with a rifle, Sally chooses to try to repair her marriage rather than continue her relationship with Luke. Despite her genuine love for Luke, Sally feels a sense of duty and guilt toward Bob, particularly after seeing the extent of his psychological wounds and wanting to help him recover, even though the marriage ultimately proves impossible to save.

Foreshadowing: Sally's sense of loyalty conflicts with her growing independence throughout the film.

• sally
• bob
• marriage
• stay
• choice
• loyalty

Luke's paraplegia creates both emotional and physical challenges in his relationship with Sally. Despite his disability, their intimacy deepens and Sally experiences her first orgasm during their lovemaking, showing that their connection transcends physical limitations. However, both Sally and Luke are acutely aware that their relationship has an expiration date once Bob returns, adding painful urgency to their time together.

Foreshadowing: Their intimate moment occurs knowing it cannot last, making their love both beautiful and tragically fleeting.

• luke
• paralysis
• relationship
• intimacy
• disability
• orgasm

Army Intelligence begins monitoring Luke after his highly visible protest at the recruitment center, where he chained himself to the gates to block enlistments. His act of civil disobedience makes him a target of surveillance, and the intelligence operation eventually uncovers his affair with Sally, providing Bob with the evidence he needs to confront the couple.

Foreshadowing: The surveillance is what eventually exposes Sally's affair to Bob.

• army intelligence
• spying
• luke
• surveillance
• recruitment center

Bob claims he wounded himself in the leg during his deployment, though the film suggests this may have been a self-inflicted injury designed to get sent home. Whether accidental or intentional, the wound becomes his ticket out of combat, though it also marks him with the physical and psychological scars that define his return home.

Foreshadowing: Bob's willingness to harm himself to escape Vietnam hints at his fragile mental state.

• bob
• self-wound
• leg
• vietnam
• escape

Although Sally initially dreads being left alone when Bob deploys to Vietnam, she unexpectedly discovers a newfound sense of freedom. Living away from the military base, having time to herself, buying a sports car, and living in a beachside apartment all contribute to her growing independence. This freedom eventually allows her to explore her identity beyond being a military wife, opening the door to her transformation and eventual romance with Luke.

Foreshadowing: Sally's emerging independence directly leads her to volunteer at the VA hospital and find her way to Luke.

• sally
• freedom
• independence
• base
• military wife