Volunteers

It's 1963 at Yale University, where Lawrence Bourne III is attending his graduation ceremony. While listening to a football game on a portable radio, Lawrence bets on the outcome, unknowingly sealing his fate with a significant gambling debt.

After his team loses the bet, loan shark Albert Bordonaro's thug, Cicero, arrives to collect the debt. With only a day to come up with the money, Lawrence frantically seeks help but soon finds himself in a desperate situation.

Fleeing from Cicero, Lawrence rushes to LaGuardia airport to escape his fate. In a last-minute deal, he persuades his roommate Kent to let him take his Peace Corps spot, swapping it for his car and girlfriend.

On the plane to Thailand, Lawrence meets the talkative Tom Tuttle and quickly realizes his mistake in taking Kent's place. Despite his initial disinterest in social service, he becomes intrigued by his fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Beth Wexler.

Upon arriving in Thailand, Beth is welcomed by John Reynolds, who oversees their project. Lawrence, feeling out of place, is crestfallen and longs to return home, but he soon finds himself assigned to a bridge-building project in a rural village.

Lawrence attempts to connect with the local villagers but struggles to fit in as he arrives wearing formal clothes. Tensions rise when Tom suggests cutting down sacred trees for the bridge, prompting a local villager to step in and diffuse the situation.

As the situation escalates, Tom is captured by guerrillas, leaving Lawrence and Beth to contend with their project alone. Despite their new partnership, Lawrence is preoccupied with the poker game rather than prioritizing Tom's rescue.

When drug lord Chung Mee enters the scene, Lawrence finds himself coerced into a poker game for the future of the village. After realizing Chung Mee's intentions, Lawrence proposes a deal to expedite bridge construction in exchange for his freedom and money.

As Lawrence works alongside the villagers, Beth's feelings for John Reynolds grow, complicating her relationship with Lawrence. The dynamics shift as Tom is brainwashed by guerrillas into becoming a volatility threat to their operations.

As the villagers celebrate the completion of the bridge, Lawrence realizes that Beth is missing. When he discovers she is trapped with John, he must choose between abandoning his plan or risking everything to rescue her.

Lawrence sneaks into Chung Mee's compound, finding Beth in a compromised state. In a tense struggle, he defeats John Reynolds and escapes with Beth, but they face further decisions on how to handle the bridge project.

In the aftermath of the rescue, Lawrence and Beth debate about what to do with the bridge. Beth insists that he destroy it to save the village, leading to a moment of self-reflection for Lawrence about his true motivations.

As they prepare to explode the bridge, Lawrence faces off against Tom Tuttle, who initially opposes destroying it. Their heated exchange leads to Tom reawakening his patriotism, and they devise a plan together to take down the bridge.

In a climactic moment, Lawrence returns to the bridge to fix the malfunctioning explosives while being confronted by John Reynolds. The scene peaks as the bridge is finally detonated, symbolizing the end of their struggles in the village.

After the chaos settles, Lawrence is revived by Beth, leading to a moment of connection between them. Later, he writes a letter home, reflecting on how the Peace Corps experience transformed him and his plans to open a casino in the village.