Based on a novella by Jim Harrison, this complex saga of love, grief & loyalty is narrated with stark simplicity by old Stab, long-time friend to retired Colonel Ludlow & his 3 sons: Alfred, the eldest; Samuel, the youngest; and Tristan. The conflict between Ludlow's fiercely anti-government anti-war stance & his sons' determination to do what they see as their duty is but part of the story; the heart of the tale is the rift that threatens the mutual devotion of these three brothers as they all come to love the same woman. "She was not to blame," Stab tells us, "She was like the ice that freezes in the rock and splits it apart."