The Patriot Joe Morton

When the good people of Cranston, Texas learn a hometown boy has been killed in Iraq, they begin preparing a memorial for their fallen hero.

But nobody thinks to ask the boy's father, Joe Morton, if such a service is wanted, or welcome. Crippled by grief, Joe goes along with the plans of the townsfolk until he can bear no more. On the Fourth of July, he tells them just how he feels.

Joe's act of independence has unexpected consequences. The residents, and least of all Joe himself, are completely unprepared for what happens next: change and the outside world come to Cranston.