故事发生在二战刚刚结束之际,满目疮痍的大地正在缓慢而又艰难的恢复着生计。约翰(马特·达蒙 Matt Damon 饰)和母亲过着相依为命的生活,然而,战后的日子实在难熬,为了维持生计,母亲不得不卖掉了家中的农场,约翰失去了童年唯一的记忆,陷入了深深的痛苦之中。
长大后,约翰和好友兰塞(亨利·托马斯 Henry Thomas 饰)一起踏上了浪迹天涯的旅途,在途中,他们结识了名为布莱温斯(卢卡斯·布莱克 Lucas Black 饰)的男孩,三人结伴而行,彼此之间结下了深厚的友谊。一行人来到了一座庄园里,在那里,约翰找到了一份牧马的工作,并同庄园主的女儿坠入了爱河。
比利因性格原因常常遭受霸凌。在他生父留下的一台旧相机中,他感受到失落与连接的复杂情感。比利的母亲已经再婚三次,并和现任丈夫移居到美国。后来,他年轻的妹妹不幸溺水,家庭因此被继父抛弃,不得不返回台湾。
一天,洗完澡后,比利低声对自己说:“我要坚强,”身边放着几瓶药。他坐在马桶上,挣扎于孤独和困惑,试图逃避痛苦的现实。
Billy often faces bullying due to his personality. In an old camera left to him by his biological father, he feels a complex mix of loss and connection. Billy’s mother has remarried three times and moved to the United States with her current husband. Later, after his younger sister tragically drowned, the family was abandoned by her stepfather and had to return to Taiwan.
One day, after taking a bath, Billy whispers to himself, “I need to be strong,” surrounded by several medicine jars. He sits on the toilet, struggling with feelings of loneliness and confusion, trying to escape his painful reality.