Navy soldier Galle Peterson recently died in Pakistan and left his home in New Mexico in shock and sadness. David, a good friend of Galle's army, unexpectedly rushed to Peterson's home and sent a farewell letter to Galle's relatives. No one knows that David is Galle's friend, and Galle has never talked about him with his parents. The only evidence of David's existence often appears in Galle's photos, in which he and Galle stand on the edge of the mantelpiece of the Peterson shrine.
At first, Peterson's mother (played by Sheila Kelley) was the only one in the family who wanted to accept David's fancy; Peterson's father (Leland and others) and Galle's brothers and sisters Luke (Brendan Mayer) and Leah (Myka Marilyn Monroe) all have doubts about this new customer. Finally, the Peterson family learned to put aside their doubts and accepted this strange visitor.