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Mental illness and relationship problems intertwine as two lovers struggle to stay together against extraordinary odds. Set in 1980 - the film revolves around Mark Deloach (Jonathan Tucker) - a rebellious teenager with a bullying - overbearing father (Joe Mantegna). In a moment of boredom - Mark decides to spy on promiscuous fellow teen Sue Dubois (Agnes Bruckner) - but he winds up in a head-on car crash with a local priest. Both sets of parents decide to punish their children–Sue's mother (Carrie Fisher) puts her daughter in the local mental hospital - and Mark's Dad swiftly dispatches him to the Marines. Mark feels guilty - so he visits Sue during his time off from the military - where he immediately falls in love with her roommate - former pop singer Dori Lawrence (Rachael Leigh Cook). Dori and Mark begin a long-distance relationship through frenetic letter exchanges. Meanwhile Mark endures daily humiliation from his officious drill instructor Skeer (Val Kilmer) - who resents Mark for enrolling in the military because of former misdemeanors. As Dori develops full-blown schizophrenia - Mark begins to excel in his military life - and eventually wins respect from his fellow soldiers - and Skeer. Sadly unable to grasp the seriousness of Dori's illness - Mark receives a wake-up call via a botched military job in Beirut - which leaves him hospitalized. The role of caregiver is suddenly shifted to Dori - leading to some poignant lessons in life for the star-crossed lovers. Director Reverge Anselmo draws on the experience of an impressive cast throughout - creating a provocative and offbeat story of a complicated teenage relationship.
