When school teacher Harriet Winslow goes to Mexico to teach, she is kidnapped by Gen. Tomas Arroyo and his revolutionaries. An aging American, Ambrose "Old Gringo" Bierce also in Mexico, befriends Gen. Arroyo and meets Harriet. Bierce is a famous writer, who knowing that he is dying, wishes to keep his identity secret so he can determine his own fate. Though he likes Arroyo, Bierce tries to provoke the General's anger whenever possible in an attempt to get himself killed, thus avoiding suffering through his illness. Winslow is intrigued by both Bierce and Arroyo, and the men are in turn attracted to her. She becomes romantically involved with Arroyo. When Winslow learns of Bierce's true identity (a writer whose work she has loved and respected for years), she is singlemindedly determined to fulfill his dying wish.

　　越战时期，美国位于华盛顿特区的石花园，葬着为数众多在越战上殉职的美国军人。《教父》《战栗游戏》詹姆斯肯恩饰演哈塞德军官，深信越战是一场打不赢的战事，相反的，士兵威洛一生最大的职志就是代表国家上战场，好好打一场胜战荣返家园。哈塞德没办法劝阻威洛把自己送到最前线，他唯一能为这个朋友做的，就是──拖延，同时鼓励他好好找回他和瑞秋（《他们的故事》《油炸绿蕃茄》《玫瑰花床》玛丽史都麦特森饰）的感情……

　　故事发生在地广人稀的南方工业小镇中，闭塞的环境和苍白的日常让生活在那里的年轻人们脑袋里充满了奇思妙想。保罗（保罗·施耐德 Paul Schneider 饰）是小镇上出了名的花花公子，时至今日，你已经很难在当地找到一个没有和他发生过关系的女孩子了，不过，这些女孩子中并不包括诺瓦（佐伊·丹斯切尔 Zooey Deschanel 饰）。
　　纯洁的诺瓦理所当然地吸引了保罗的注意，未经人事的她亦很快就坠入了保罗一手制造的温柔乡之中无法自拔。尽管所有人都不看好这段荒唐的感情，但身陷其中的保罗和诺瓦两人依然坚信，他们的未来是光明而又美好的。然而，随着时间的推移，一些棘手的问题开始露出了端倪。