Baltimore, 1959. Danny's dad is the only man in the neighborhood who didn't fight in World War II. Danny, who's 12, gets teased and folks make nasty cracks about cowards. An old radio tower on a nearby hill is about to be torn down, and Danny decides to climb it to prove his courage. Help comes from an aging neighbor, Old Man Langer, a former construction foreman who's dying of cancer and wants Danny to help him commit suicide. Langer rigs pulleys and weights to help the lad make the climb. Meanwhile, an aggressive and angry neighbor (an army vet) regularly gets drunk and shoots off his rifle, and Danny's dad must confront him. It all comes to a head one stormy night.

Chuck Langer:
You can have one if you want.


Danny Himes:
What?


Chuck Langer:
A beer, I don't give a good Goddamn.


Danny Himes:
Ah no, it's okay. I don't drink.


Chuck Langer:
You don't drink, you don't screw. Hell, what kind of a man are you?

Revealing mistakes: When Ruth turns on the radio in her bedroom it begins to play immediately, not taking time to warm up like a tube radio from that period would. Either the radio is solid state or, more likely, this reveals the music being added in after the scene.