A nine-year-old boy reflects on the heroes he's identified in his life, from religious figures to his relatives, while he and his father drive home on a snowy night.

A young boy grows up avoiding his abusive mother and idolizing two men in his life: his father and a boy in his class. But when both of his heroes betray him, he turns to his mother for comfort.

An old man looks back on his boyhood idolization of a soldier he sees in the parade - until his hero is forced off the pedestal after trying to steal a prized horse from the boy's father.

A boy runs away from an abusive household and a magical figure from a cautionary tale: the Fool-Killer. Fear of the Fool-Killer shapes his whole life as he tries his best to live honestly and un-foolishly.

An American veteran who watched his friend drown in a field of excrement in Vietnam drives in circles around the lake in his hometown ruminating on how he might have saved his friend, won a Silver Star for valor, and made his father proud.

A thirteen year old boy's grandfather tells his harrowing wartime story once again--this time in the darkness of his closet.

A high school boy makes a habit of stealing cars, picking up girls, and skipping school. When he begins to worry that he is getting into too much trouble, the boy must decide whether to seek help or continue his criminal lifestyle.

Thirteen-year-old Angelle gets into a car accident when her drunken father begs her to drive home in his stead. Later, she must take the witness stand in court and decide her family's future with her testimony.

A young boy's frank essay on moral principles is erroneously published in the local paper, and the resulting fallout is mayhem for both the boy's family and the paper's editors.

When all the able-bodied men of a small town in Oregon get sent to the war front in Iraq, two teenage boys are left behind. They vent their frustration, seek revenge on those who have wronged them, and ultimately grow up to be like their fathers, despite their fathers' absence.