An Irish writer receives an assignment that he must complete by New Year’s Eve. He starts building up the story from scratch, taking twists and turns to land on the right tale to tell. He imagines a Marine, Sandi, who is in Afghanistan while her wife, Kimberlee, and her son, Joel, wait for her, back home in Charleston, North Caroline. Joel has a sweetheart, Tracey, and loves his soldier mother, despite his distance from her. As he thinks about his story, the writer isn’t sure which details to flesh out, which directions to take. New Year’s Eve nears, and he considers his own estranged family. On the day of the deadline, the phone rings and rings; he doesn’t pick it up yet.