Seven years ago, Jack (Richard Gere) left his pregnant wife Laurie (Jodie Foster) to join the American Civil War. There was no news for seven years, and Laurie took on the responsibility of taking care of the children and the family. One day seven years later, Jack suddenly appeared. And at this time, Jack was no longer rude and mean, it was like a completely different person. Originally a landlord, he worked diligently with the villagers, hoping to do his best to improve everyone's living standards. But not long after Laurie felt this sense of happiness, things changed. Jack was accused of being involved in a murder case, and the authorities wanted to arrest Jack. The silent Jack did not resist, and he accepted the arrest. In fact, this was a fake Jack, he was a teacher friend of the real Jack, and the real Jack had died long ago. The fake Jack was willing to bear the charges because he wanted to keep the best side of Jack in everyone's hearts...