Marcus and his sister and mother are counting the days until Marcus's father comes home from Afghanistan. When the big day comes, they're overcome by happiness and relief that he's safe, but as the days pass, Marcus begins to feel that there's something different about his father. Marcus knows that post-traumatic stress disorder affects many soldiers, but at first he finds it hard to believe his father needs help, and then when he does think he needs counselling, he just can't seem to convince his father.