Joint Body

Nick is released on parole but must accept strict restrictions. His wife has filed for divorce and a restraining order keeps him away from his daughter. The parole board requires him to relinquish custodial rights, forcing him to confront a future built to avoid his violent past.

He meets with his parole officer and moves into a modest motel. He starts attending AA meetings to rebuild a steady routine and a sense of normalcy. The path forward feels fragile but is his first real attempt to leave the past behind.

Dean visits Nick at the motel and shares stories from his life as a police officer. He leaves Nick with his gun for protection, a heavy symbol of the thin line between safety and danger. Nick pockets the weapon, aware of the risk it represents.

Nick finds employment at a manufacturing plant and begins to settle into a steadier daily rhythm. The job anchors him as he tries to leave his past behind, even as old instincts tug at him. He clings to a sense of normalcy amid the fragility of his new life.

At the motel, Michelle Page—the isolated survivor of a troubled life—enters Nick’s orbit. They share coffee and stories, slowly forming a glimmer of companionship in a difficult chapter. Their growing connection offers a brief respite from the surrounding chaos.

Danny Wilson returns from Afghanistan, pressing Michelle for control and personal reward. He brandishes a gun and assaults her, and Nick rushes to her room with his brother’s gun to intervene. In the ensuing confrontation, Danny is mortally wounded.

Michelle visits Nick in the hospital as he recovers from a gunshot wound to the stomach. He learns Danny has died and realizes he has violated his parole, setting in motion plans to leave with Michelle’s help. The incident shakes the fragile balance of their fledgling life.

Nick and Michelle go to Dean’s house, hoping for sanctuary as Dean and his pregnant wife grapple with the situation. Dean’s wary advice to disappear hangs in the air, revealing the fault lines in Nick’s brotherhood. The plan is fragile and already loaded with suspicion.

The next morning, Nick and Michelle slip away in Nick’s old truck, realizing they are now outlaws in their own eyes. They seek refuge in a quiet motel and try to cling to each other as the world closes in. The sense of danger grows with every mile.

Police detectives arrive at Dean’s house with the gun, and they suspect Michelle betrayed them. Nick calls Dean to explain, and Dean reveals that he believes Michelle turned on him. The trust between Nick and Michelle begins to fracture.

Nick confronts Michelle about the weapon, and she swears she didn’t hand it over to the police. They share a charged night together, a desperate attempt to hold onto each other as danger closes in. The bond between them strains under the pressure of suspicion and fear.

At dawn, Michelle is arrested by authorities. Nick then goes to his daughter’s school and speaks with a teacher who confirms she is doing fine as he watches his daughter leave with her friends. He remains unable to reach out, haunted by what his past has become.

The film closes with Nick alone, drifting across a deserted lake in his old boat, carrying the weight of a past that shadows every attempt at a new life. The quiet scene underscores a man who cannot fully escape what he has done, even as he searches for meaning.