Dori Lawrence is an actress and singer living in Hollywood who battles undiagnosed schizophrenia, a struggle that repeatedly disrupts her career and performances. After another concert goes awry due to her untreated illness, she is sent to seek help and support for her condition, beginning a long road toward treatment and understanding.
Meanwhile, Mark Deloach is a wealthy high school student at a Catholic school who, despite being shy around girls and generally well-behaved, slips into underage drinking. His brother, Gregory, who has secret sexual rendezvous with the prestigious Sue Dubois, becomes entangled in a controversy when one of their incriminating notes is blamed on him. In a misguided act of revenge, Gregory and a friend decide to expose what they know about Sue to her mother, believing it will reveal her son’s misdeeds and spark disapproval. The plan leads to a violent car crash that injures both Sue and Father Concoff, the school principal, changing the lives of everyone involved.
Mrs. Dubois (Carrie Fisher) pursues charges against Mark, but a deal is forged that sends him to the Marine Corps instead of jail time. At the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, Mark meets Staff Sergeant Skeer, and the rigorous environment forces him to confront a harsher form of discipline and responsibility. Through hard training and a demanding culture, he earns the respect of his drill instructors and earns the status of a Marine, reshaping his sense of identity and loyalty.
Returning home, Mark finds himself gradually isolating from old friends while forming new bonds. He becomes closer to Sue, who is going through rehabilitation in a halfway house, and to Dori, who shares the same living space as Sue. A tentative romance develops as they navigate the complexities of love, trauma, and the need for healing. The two teens exchange letters and calls, a quiet lifeline that keeps them connected even as obstacles mount. When a planned date falls through, Mark leaves a small gift as a token of his commitment, and a later moment finds them sharing a more intimate experience.
As Dori’s illness deepens, the circle of friends and family urges treatment and structure, while Mark struggles with the idea of separating from her. An intervention group ultimately steps in to help them see the necessity of support, and the pair spend time apart to focus on healing. The couple’s relationship is tested by distance and the demands of their respective paths, yet a persistent thread of care remains.
The conflict widens when Mark faces overseas deployment once more, and he is wounded in the Beirut bombing of 1983, returning home with an honorable discharge after a period of recuperation. After two years apart, Dori reaches out to Mark in a hospital where he is recovering, and the two reconnect with a renewed sense of commitment. They imagine a future together, planning to marry and build a new life, guided by the lessons they’ve learned about resilience, responsibility, and the possibility of companionship amid hardship.
