Jim visits the church where he and Alyce were married. She tells of what her life was like during his absence, of the callous behavior of neighbors and family, of late-night crank calls from malicious strangers, and of her fear and loneliness. For her part, Alyce asserts her independence, refusing to be the docile and obedient wife. Jim complains that Alyce is not the wife he left behind. He notes how the nation has become different during his ordeal, and soon, the couple begins to fight. She offers to go away if that is what he wishes, but Jim decides to attempt a reconciliation. Alyce meets Jim and confesses her new relationship. With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, Jim receives a letter of welcome from President Nixon, the text noting ominously that “some things about America may appear to have changed” since his departure. The P.O.W.’s are released and Jim returns home, but the Pentagon honors another man, a Navy pilot, as the longest-held prisoner. In captivity, Jim finds comfort in the 23rd Psalm. She consults a lawyer in an effort to have him declared legally dead. Alyce denies permission for Jim’s name to be released to the public as missing in action, nor inscribed on one of the P.O.W. She eventually moves in with him and tells the children that their father has died. Denied any reliable information about his status or whereabouts, Alyce soon begins a relationship with another man, Harold. Pregnant with their fourth child, Alyce receives the news that Jim’s surveillance plane has been shot down. He recalls every letter his beloved wife, Alyce, sent to him before his capture. Through it all, he finds the strength to survive in memories of his family. He sees himself as a young man and recalls episodes from his nine-year ordeal – escape attempts, torture, the overwhelming loneliness of four years in solitary confinement, and being forced to sign a propaganda statement. The action takes place during and after the Vietnam War.Ĭolonel Floyd James Thompson (Jim), America’s longest-held prisoner of war, looks back on his years as a captive.
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