Editing Coming Home (1978 film) (section)

== Plot ==
In 1968 [[California]], Sally, a loyal and conservative military wife, is married to Bob Hyde, a captain in the [[United States Marine Corps]], who is about to be deployed to [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]. As a dedicated military officer, Bob sees the deployment primarily as an opportunity for career progress. At first, Sally dreads being left alone, but after a while, she feels liberated. Forced to find housing away from the base, she moves into a new apartment by the beach and buys a sports car. With nothing else to do, she decides to volunteer at a local [[Veterans Health Administration|Veterans Administration (VA)]] hospital, partially inspired by her bohemian friend Vi Munson, whose brother Billy has come home with [[Psychological trauma|grave emotional problems]] after just two weeks in Vietnam and now resides in the VA hospital.

At the hospital, Sally meets Luke Martin, a former high-school classmate. Like his friend Billy, Luke had gone to Vietnam but came back wounded. He is recuperating at the hospital from the injuries he sustained, which left him a [[paraplegic]]. Filled with pain, anger, and frustration, Luke is now [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposed to the war]]. He is at first a bitter young man, but as he is increasingly thrown into contact with Sally, a relationship develops. Eventually, Luke is released from the hospital, and, newly mobile with his own wheelchair, begins to rebuild his life. His relationship with Sally deepens. She is also transformed by him, and her outlook on life starts to change. They have happy times, play at the beach, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Billy, traumatized by his experiences at war, commits suicide by injecting air into his veins. Driven by Billy's suicide, Luke chains himself to the gates of a local recruitment center in a vain attempt to stop others from enlisting.

Sally and Luke eventually make love, confronting his handicap, with Sally experiencing her first [[orgasm]]. However, she does not seek a divorce from her husband, and both she and Luke know that their relationship will have to end when Bob returns home. Bob does return, too soon, claiming that he had accidentally wounded himself in the leg. He is also suffering from [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] stemming from what he has seen in combat. Bob discovers Sally's affair from [[Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)|Army Intelligence]], who has been spying on Luke since the gate incident, and Sally and Luke agree that Sally should try to patch things up with Bob. Bob loses control, confronting the lovers with a loaded rifle, but ultimately turns away. Bob places his neatly folded [[Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps#Dress uniform|Marine dress uniform]] on the beach, takes off his wedding ring, and swims naked out into the ocean to commit suicide.