A veteran returned to his mother’s home after deployment. His mom, Ma, is just as he remembered. A man comes downstairs and asks Ma who the man is. Ma explains that it is her son, Mikey, who just returned. Ma tells Mikey that the man is Harris. Harris asks Mikey about the worst things he did overseas. Mikey asks about his father/step-father Alberto. Ma explains that he moved out.

Harris says he’s been looking to date Ma for years. Harris doesn’t understand why Alberto left when Ma got sick. This is news to Mikey. It is revealed to him that Ma has a lump.

Mikey goes to his old room. He tries to talk to his mom about her illness. She says Harris was lying and that she is fine. Ma tells Mikey that Renee and Ryan got a nice house together, but that Ryan is probably abusive. They have a kid who Ma and Harris thinks is ugly.

Mikey goes to Renee and Ryan’s house. He watches outside. The house is in the nice part of town. He hears them gossiping. Ryan’s parents are there, and they look like they have money. Mikey sees Renee. She looks bigger and less peppy. She is holding her baby. The baby looks like an elf, just as Ma had told him.

Renee gives the baby to Ryan as she sees Mikey. She freaks out and calls Mike’s name. She asks if he did it. Mikey asks to come in. Renee says no, not until Ryan’s folks leave. Renee keeps asking Mike if he did it. Mikey brings up that Ryan seems nice except when he hits her. Renee dismisses the claim. They argue about mom being sick and why Renee did not write him about it. Renee says that Ma has a bad heart. Mikey says that she has a lump. Renee complains about Harris. She tells Mikey to leave as the baby is crying. Mikey does not think Ryan looks like a hitter as he sees him in the window. Renee tells Mike to go see his wife and the babies. Mikey remembers a time when he and Renee were younger when their parents were so high, that they trashed the patio.

When Mikey returns home there is a scene on the lawn of his Ma’s house. His Ma is arguing with a man while Harris is kicking and shouting. They yell at the man, expressing that it is not right to treat the family of a hero this way. The man reiterates that Ma has not paid rent in four months. The man thanks Mikey for his service. The man goes inside and starts taking Ma’s stuff. The man thanks Mikey for his service again. Mikey takes a hold of the man. Mikey brings Ma’s stuff back inside.

The sheriff comes later that night and removes Ma’s belongings from the house. Mikey watched it from a deer stand. Mikey goes to the house and forces Ma and Harris to act their age. He took a hold of Harris and sat him down by Ma. He held a lit match threatening to drop it if they did not stop.

He goes across the street where his Wife, Joy, was living with the babies and Asshole. Their house was even nicer than Renee and Ryan’s house. It was dark and there were three cars in the driveway. Mikey knew this meant they were all in bed. He goes into town. He enters a store but he doesn’t know what they are selling. The products are MiiVoxMax and MiiVoxMin. The kid says that if Mikey is asking if Miivoxmin is a data repository or information-hierarchy domain, the answer is yes and no.

Mikey thinks they are sweet kids—by kids, he means people his age. He tells them that he just got back from the war. The kids ask where he was. Mikey says “At the war?” He asks them in an insulting manner if maybe they had heard of it. They thank him for this service and begin asking him questions. They begin talking about if they are for or against the war. They thank him even though they know it wasn’t his deal to do it. Mikey says that it was his deal. The conversation ensues. Mike leaves holding the tag, thinking about how the kids were nice, accepting, and unsuspicious. He feels happy.

He knocks on the door of Janice’s house. Asshole answers the door and says that he cannot let Mikey come inside. Asshole is really named Evan. Mikey asks if he can come tomorrow. He and Evan agreed to play their relationship with the kids and Janice reasonably by phrasing everything in a question. They agree that he can come at six tomorrow. Evan insists that he will be around. Evan expresses that what happened was challenging for everyone. Mikey leaves and thinks about the three expensive cars in the driveway and how his wife and her new husband were selfish and snobby. He thinks of how his babies are going to become selfish and snobby.  He describes the houses in this neighborhood as castles, whereas the houses where he is from are like peasant huts.

When he returns home Ma’s house is empty. Ma and Harris were sitting on the empty floor trying to find a place to go. The sheriff appears and accuses Mikey of taking ahold of Mr. Klees, the larger man who owns the house. Ma tells the sheriff that Mikey just got home from war. The sheriff thanks him for his service and reprimands his behavior. They all talk about how Mikey isn’t himself. The sheriff asks where the family will be off to. They ask Mikey for advice. He mentions Renee’s. The sheriff tells them to go to a shelter. Ma expresses that she works for a church and that her son is a hero. The sheriff appears to switch off and he leaves.  Mikey, Ma, and Harris bring in the grass-stained mattresses to sleep on for the night.

The sheriff returns in the morning and forces them out and padlocks the door. Ma reiterates that her son is a veteran. The sheriff reminds her that he already thanked Mikey for his service. They go to Renee’s.

Renee denies her Ma, Mikey, and Harris in front of Ryan’s parents. Ryan's parents finds Ma to be trash. Renee says they will pay to send them to a hotel. Ryan won’t let Mikey hold the baby. Ryan’s parents talk to him about the war. Mikey is upset that everyone thinks he will hurt the baby. He says he doesn’t want to hold the baby; Mikey wants to hold the pitcher of lemonade. He cradles the pitcher and spills lemonade everywhere. He tells them they hurt his feelings and he storms out.

Mikey goes back to the store to return the tag. There are new kids. They also just got out of the army. They talk about their service.

Mikey leaves and feels shame. He doesn’t know if he is terrible or normal. He calls Renee. Renee asks where he is going. He says home and hangs up.

At Janice’s, there are five cars. Everyone is on the porch, including Ma, Harris, Ryan, Renee, and Ryan’s parents. Mikey thinks this is hilarious that they are all trying to stop him from going home. He sees his mom, weak and struggling to stand. Ryan helps her. He thinks/prays about how he had been sent out and now needs help coming back. He approaches his family.