This film is as timeless as the subject it tackles; men returning from war. Just how do people cope with their reintegration into everyday life back home when they have seen and suffered so much? Wyler's three protagonists each has their own inner demons to deal with and they must somehow try to reconcile their World War II experiences with family life and the mundane normality of Boone City. Al (Marsh) has to try and get to know the two children he left behind, both of whom have changed so much. He initially appears to adapt admirably to his previous life, even getting back his old job at the bank, but it seems the war has changed him irrevocably and his resolve is softened towards fellow ex-servicemen, to whom he approves loans without implementing all the necessary documentation.

Homer (Russell) lost both of his hands during the war and, on his return, finds it difficult to rekindle his relationship with his fiancee, Wilma. The obvious worries about his disability seem to encompass far more than simply a fear of rejection based on his physical appearance; he has changed and can no longer express his feelings. The third man, Fred (Andrews) can't even find his wife at first and, once he does, her flippancy drives them apart once more. This film is a poignant reminder of the hidden costs of war and the confusion of the men who fight for their country, only to find that they and the land for which they suffered have been altered irrevocably by the experience.