A wounded soldier takes refuge in a cathedral and ponders his disillusionment with religion, which slowly wanes as he dies.

During his leave, an American World War II soldier visits the family of one of his fellow British soldiers. While he expects a warm and doting environment, he is instead greeted by a circumspectly cold group of British people.

An American expat who lives in Rome struggles to understand his adopted country, especially the Italian language. When he finally finds the right teacher, he is overjoyed, but her unique personal life quickly pervades their lessons and confounds their rapport.

After losing her mother, a young Chinese American girl in New York City struggles to keep the rest of family together and grapples with the loneliness of being the less-loved daughter.

A group of white men establish ties with a village of indigenous peoples in Alaska after their U.S. Army Station is built nearby. When one of the indigenous men goes hunting and begins to see strange lights and unfamiliar objects, he wonders whether he should warn the white men of potential danger.