Eric Desmond, a committed environmentalist, is accidentally involved in the transfer of Ben Corbett, a ruthless killer, from an isolated Alaskan village, along a long route, to civilization; but the prisoner is determined to escape at any cost.

An upper-middle class family in Washington state deals with failures, infidelities and troubling secrets. Charley is 26 and still lives at home, despite his simmering anger at his father, Edward. Charley's younger brother, Tom, just dropped out of college and returned home to live. Tom's unstable new girlfriend, Marriet, has designs on joining the family, but she's hardly a calming influence on the crumbling home.