A composer returns to his hometown on the East coast to visit the daughter he hasn't seen in twelve years, trying to amend his absence and find the words to describe the unhappiness he feels, despite his fame and success.

Abandoned by her father, a young anorexic girl grows jealous of her best friend, who's father loves her so much he cuts away pieces of her. The girl wants nothing more than to inhabit her best friend's life, but she must pay a heavy price to replace her.

A man in North Carolina is drafted into World War II, which forces him to leave behind his broken family, his brother, and the Black mistress for whom he left his wife and son.