Stan Eigenbauer leads a comfortable life with his dog, season tickets to the Cubs, and a garage full of vintage hobby cars. He meets an attractive young Vietnamese-American woman (Trinh Le) who he likes and is interested in dating, but soon discovers that there's a problem: she can't, and won't, get married in the Catholic Church.
Stan's head tells him to walk away immediately, but the two of them get carried away by their emotions; he stays too late at her apartment, and the two of them go too far. Stan does try to move on, but the emotional baggage and other consequences of his bad decision threaten to turn several peoples' lives upside down.
He's now faced with a decision that is much bigger and much more difficult, and every option seems bad in a different way. After agonizing over these options, Stan makes an unconventional choice that appears both heroic and suicidal.
As the story progresses, and Stan struggles with the consequences of his unconventional choice, he grows more faithful to his commitments and more committed to his faith. And he discovers a depth of joy and happiness far beyond what he or we could have expected.