"James Thompson, almost twenty-five, is a country and western singer whose third recording is considered unacceptable by his small independent Canadian record label. Consequently, he is given four months to return to his roots (in Datum, a fictitious border town best known for manufacturing auto parts) on an "epiphany-hunting trip" and redo the material. If he doesn't succeed, his contract will be terminated. Bad memories of his father's untimely death haunt him in Datum, though he also meets a woman during his stay"