 John Langer, (John Hurt) a crusty old civic engineer, has an arsenal full of memories. With irreverent wit, he rattles on, in his irascible humorous style, burning his spicy stories into the imagination of a young neighbor kid, Danny Himes (Gregory Smith). Danny is a gifted, spirited athlete with something to prove. Worldly, old man Langer has turned his back on proving anything at all. It s post WWII. Danny s father, Earl, (David Strathairn) did not serve in the military and is considered a coward. Danny excels to overcome his father s reputation while Earl is actually more a man than the town knows. "You don t smoke, you don t drink, and you don t screw. What kind of man are you anyway?" old man Langer asks Danny. The more appropriate question is: "What kind of men are they?"