Marine PFC Jack
Hardesty is sent overseas as part of a peace keeping mission and is
seriously wounded. His childhood sweetheart, Rusty, unable to obtain
news of Jack, is devastated at the prospect of life without him.
Then Rusty learns of a cruel trick her father has played on her to
keep them apart and she is consumed with anger. In her demented
state she causes an accident which takes the lives of five people.
Frightened, she flees and while resisting arrest, Rusty
inadvertently cause more destruction including the deaths of two
police officers.
Labeled a cop killer, Rusty receives a life sentence. Soon
thereafter, invalided out of the army, suffering from progressive
nerve damage, Jack returns to find that the love of his life is
locked away from him. During their tearful reunion in the prison,
Rusty begs Jack to forget about her, but Jack vows to wait for her.
Jack finds a small house and a job near the prison and divides him
time between home, prison and the nearby VA hospital because he
frequently falls ill. At the hospital he meets Fran, a nurse who
falls in love with him. She gives up trying for him, however, when
she understands how deep is his commitment to Rusty. She and Jack
fall into an easy friendship that stretches across the years.
Rusty betters herself in prison. She finishes two degrees and
studies for a career. Jack, his nerve damage taking its toll,
becomes more fragile. As Rusty's release date approaches, Fran
arranges for Jack's neighbors, a single mother and her son to help
Jack fix up his house for Rusty. Through Jack, the mother and son
learn about the meaning of true love.
When Rusty is finally released, their happiness is explosive and
real, albeit brief. Diagnosed in the early stages of alzheimers,
soon Jack will not even recognize the woman he loves. Already
disoriented and given to wandering off, Jack goes to live at the VA
hospital where Fran will take care of him and where Rusty will be
his constant companion.