General Kent Brown has been a patient at the Camarillo State Mental Institution for over a decade, but the day has come: Kent's son Samuel is on his way to pick him up. Kent doesn't feel ready to face his son, not after what happened, not after Kent's betrayal. He wonders whether Samuel has forgiven him. Kent knows that under certain circumstances, time does not heal all wounds.
Back in 1941, before Samuel went off to war and before Kent went off the deep end. Samuel's girlfriend, Shirley, stayed with Kent while Samuel was in training. Samuel, of course, trusted his father to watch over the woman he loved. There was nowhere safer for her to stay while Samuel was away-and he would be sent far away, overseas to battle the Germans, much to the heartbreak and chagrin of his beloved Shirley.
Strange things happen when lovers are apart. Emotions blossom elsewhere, and lust threatens to overtake. Despite his devotion to his son, Kent can't fight the way he feels about Shirley, and she shares some of his feelings. When Samuel returns home safely from the war, but when he does, will he still have Shirley's love? Only time will tell what legacy their actions will leave.