It doesn't immediately announce itself as a tearjerker. Sammy and Terry were orphaned when their parents were killed in a highway accident, and that shared childhood tragedy has made them close. At the same time, there's a tension between them because of the choices they've made. Sammy has decided to stay in the family home.
Terry is a penniless drifter who can be counted on to abandon girlfriends and land in jail.
She thinks he's irresponsible, and she doesn't want him letting Rudy down. He can't understand why she'd want to stay in such a dull, perspective-less place. Eventually his presence brings out the wild side in her - and her need to be punished for acting on impulse. Indeed, none of these characters is quite what they appear to be. They're fluid, they change, they adapt, they learn, they find they can challenge the roles they seemed to be locked into playing for life.