Its winter of December 1981 and John, now a homeless, unemployed drifter, he was walking in the cold, it was slightly raining, He made it to the small town of Hope, Washington after looking for an old comrade, Delmar Barry, only to learn his friend died of cancer over a year earlier, brought on by exposure to Agent Orange during the war. Now walking around the small quiet town keeping quiet, he was looking for a place to eat. The residents went on their day as so far it was quiet but John's presence wouldn't go unnoticed by Hope's abusive, arrogant classist, and rancorously jealous redneck and a control freak that abuses his power, Will Teasle, the town's sheriff who's job is supposedly keep drifters out of town..