Home Front

Jolene wakes the next morning, determined to give up her wine and sleeping pills. She also decides not to be afraid and to be more open with her daughters. Jolene prepares for the day and goes into the kitchen to make pancakes. She chats with Michael and realizes that they will be okay. The phone rings, and Michael answers it. When he hangs up, he takes Jolene into her room and tells her Tami died last night. Jolene immediately panics and swallows three sleeping pills. As she does, she feels all of her courage drain away.

On the morning of Tami’s funeral, Mila helps Jolene shower and dress. As they drive through town in the funeral procession, they see hundreds of people waving at the hearse as it goes by. The Zarkades family arrives at the cemetery and walks to Tami’s casket among hundreds of other people. Jolene holds her head high as she walks to honor her friend and her uniform.

After a minister speaks, Captain Lomand presents Carl with a folded American flag, and two rows of soldiers deliver the 21-gun salute. Tami’s family and relatives place a rose atop her casket. Jolene then walks forward, sets her rose on the casket, and tells her friend goodbye. She serves as an honorary pallbearer. The procession reaches the grave site, and three helicopters appear in the sky.

In the week following the funeral, Jolene returns to her wine and sleeping pills. She knows she is letting her family down again. One morning in November, Michael enters her room with Seth. He says they need to go clean out Tami’s locker. When Jolene and her family arrive at the hangar, Michael takes Lulu to the bathroom while Jolene, Betsy, and Seth head toward the locker room. When she enters the hangar, Jolene sees a Black Hawk and freezes. She moves toward the cockpit, staring inside. Jolene pulls out of her trance and takes the teens to Tami’s locker. She pulls out the contents and sees a letter with her name on it. Jolene knows she will not be able to read it until she is stronger.

In Keith’s trial, Michael works tirelessly to prove the veteran was incapable of premeditated murder. He uses Keith’s testimony as part of his defense, knowing the jury will want to hear it directly from him. After six days of deliberation, the jury finds Keith not guilty of first-degree murder. However, they do find him guilty of second-degree murder. Michael immediately tells Keith they will appeal, but Keith disagrees. He feels he deserves this verdict and thanks Michael for his hard work. A bailiff then leads Keith out of the courtroom.

Michael reflects on the trial as he drives home. When he enters the house, he sees that Betsy and Lulu have been fighting. Michael goes to Jolene’s room and sees her holding Tami’s letter in bed. He moves to the nightstand and takes the wine bottle. Michael tells Jolene he is working hard to heal their family, but she is doing nothing. She says she cannot do any better and rolls over.

The next day, Carl hosts an end-of-life celebration for Tami. Jolene struggles with her emotions, but by 7 o’clock at night, she walks across the yard with her family to Tami’s house. She enters the house and sees a picture she took of Tami a few weeks before the accident. Suddenly, a door slams, causing her to scream and fall to the floor. Betsy is embarrassed and reacts angrily, asking her mother what is wrong with her. Jolene apologizes as she tries to stand and sees everyone looking at her with pity.

Jolene limps to the door and leaves. Michael catches up to her and asks to help her, but she tells him to leave her alone. Jolene goes to her bedroom and tries to slam the door. She loses her footing and falls, so she rips off her prosthesis and throws it across the room. Jolene then struggles into the bathroom, where she falls again, crying out in pain. Michael bursts in and holds his wife as she sobs. When she calms, Michael helps her onto the toilet. When Jolene finishes, he helps her dress and kisses the scar on her residual leg. Michael looks at her with such love that Jolene cannot deny he has changed. Michael carries his wife to their bedroom upstairs, where they make love.

Afterward, Michael asks Jolene why she never answered his letter. She says she never received it because the week leading up to the crash was so busy, and the internet was unreliable. Michael then tells Jolene that he asked her to give him a second chance in the letter. They talk about how Michael’s grief after his father’s death made it easy for him to blame Jolene for his pain. They apologize to each other, and Michael asks Jolene to tell him about her time in Iraq. She tells him he may read her journal. She also agrees to talk to Dr. Cornflower.

Suddenly, Mila pounds on the door and says Betsy and Seth are missing. Michael and Jolene go downstairs to join Mila and Carl in the search for the teens. When Lulu expresses her fear, Jolene embraces her and promises her that she will get better. Mila then takes Lulu to bed as Michael and Carl call friends for information. Eventually, a police car arrives with two officers. As Jolene listens to Carl explain the situation to the officers, she realizes where the teens are: the Crab Pot.

Michael and Jolene drive to the restaurant and find Betsy and Seth inside holding the Polaroids of the families. Jolene tells Betsy that they will take Seth home and have an honest conversation about Jolene’s experience. When they return home, Jolene gets everyone settled and thinks of Keith’s advice to come home to her family. Jolene and Betsy begin talking, and Jolene reassures her daughter that she will never stop loving her. Betsy hugs her mom as she sobs, saying she loves her, too.

Michael and Jolene go to Dr. Cornflower’s office a week later. Jolene is feeling more like herself, though she still suffers from flashbacks. The couple sits in Dr. Cornflower’s office. When she hesitates about where to start, Dr. Cornflower asks Jolene why she joined the military. Eventually, Jolene explains that she wants to start by discussing her nightmares.

In early December, Jolene and Michael return to the rehab center for Jolene’s permanent prosthesis. Jolene immediately loves the look and feel of it, regaining much of her confidence. After physical therapy on her new leg, Jolene thanks Conny for saving her, but he says she did everything. When Michael and Jolene leave the building, she runs to the car excitedly. Michael drops Jolene off at home and continues to his office. Jolene goes inside and reads another letter from Sarah, who lost her second leg to infection.

In mid-December, Jolene and Michael fly to Washington, DC. While in the air, Michael tells his wife that Lomand says her new prosthesis will allow her to begin flying small helicopters again when she is ready.

Once in Washington, DC, Jolene dresses in her class A uniform, realizing this might be the last time she will ever wear it. Jolene and Michael walk past the Vietnam War Memorial and take a cab to Walker Reed Medical Center. There, Jolene visits Sarah. Jolene tells Sarah who she is and apologizes for not responding to her letters. She then offers Sarah advice and encouragement based on her own experience, but she knows just being with Sarah is the most important thing she can do. When Michael comes into the room sometime later, he sees his wife watching over Sarah. He tells Jolene he is proud of her, and Jolene wipes away her tears in symbolism of her new life.

Jolene sits in a chair on the beach the following summer as her family, Carl, and Seth play in the sand. With shaking hands, she opens Tami’s letter and reads it. Tami tells her not to be sad and to stop crying over her death. She also asks Jolene to take care of Seth and tell him about her. Tami encourages Jolene to be happy and reminds her that she has her six. Jolene returns the letter to the envelope and sees Tami in the chair beside her.

Betsy runs up to Jolene to show her a yellow ribbon she found. Jolene stands and takes the ribbon. She watches it flutter in the breeze before letting it go and saying goodbye to Tami. Jolene then joins her family on the beach, walking hand-in-hand with Betsy.