Quiet and convincing adaptation of Tom Neal's 1992 short story is set on a Nebraska dairy farm owned by taciturn Tully Coates Sr. (Burrus), who is hiding family secrets from his two sons. Handsome Tully Jr. (Mount) is the local womanizer while younger brother Earl (Fitzgerald) is shy and sensitive. Both have a soft spot for recently-returned neighbor Ella Smalley (Nicholson), who is too smart to fall for Tully's lines even as their friendship veers toward romance.