A deep and emotional film about the complex relationships in a dysfunctional family of men set in a depressed midwestern steel town who have been torn apart by years of mistrust, anger, and irresponsibility. In the wake of his father's incarceration for killing a woman, 20-something PJ Lee drifts aimlessly, losing one job, then another, scuffling with his tough, philandering brother, and halfheartedly pursuing a girl from work. Evicted from his house, he accepts an offer to live with his estranged, bossy uncle, Vic. But Vic demands a level of accountability and communication that overwhelms PJ, and, like all the men in his family, he bolts. Just when things seem as intractable as the Illinois winter ice, subtle shifts allow each member of the Lee clan to inch together into a new kind of maturity.