This fictionalized story, based on the family life of writer James Jones, is an emotional slice-of-life story. Jones is portrayed here as Bill Willis, a former war hero turned author who combats alcoholism and is starting to experience health problems. Living in France with his wife, daughter, and an adopted son, the family travels an unconventional road which casts them as outsiders to others. Preaching a sexual freedom, his daughter's sexual discovery begins at an early age and betrays her when the family moves to Hanover in America. Her overt sexuality clashes with the values of her teenage American peers and gives her a problematic reputation. Meanwhile, her brooding brother copes with his own interior pain regarding his past, only comfortable communicating within the domestic space.
Kris Kristofferson
as Bill Willis
Leelee Sobieski
as Charlotte Anne 'Channe' Willis, Age 14
Jane Birkin
as Mrs. Fortescue
Barbara Hershey
as Marcella Willis
Dominique Blanc
as Candida
Virginie Ledoyen
as Billy's Mother
Jesse Bradford
as Billy Willis, Age 14
Isaach de Bankolé
as Mamadou
Anne-Cécile Crapie
as Mademoiselle Picot
Anthony Decadi
as Schoolyard Tease
Harley Cross
as Keith Carter
Macha Méril
as Madame Beauvier
