Notch McCleary, recuperating Vietnam veteran, vacations on a rural island where he meets Onis Lanier. What starts as an intense relationship between tranquil and fiery personalities ends two years later when the volatile Onis leaves suddenly. Unable to forget or move on, Notch maintains a seven-year vigil beneath the high bluffs of the island’s southwest point. One day, Onis and a little boy come across Notch unexpectedly and flee at the sight of him. Fifteen years later, during five oppressively hot days in July, an ensemble of newcomers arrive on the island. Amidst a whirlpool of tragedy, comedy, and eros, the friends, foes, and lovers revolve around the myth of Notch and Onis. The deeply shadowed legend becomes a catalyst for those who search, but in a landscape haunted by the past, none will find the expected.