It stars Michael Douglas, Lee Purcell, Joe Don Baker, Louise Latham, Charles Aidman, Grayson Hall, Marge Redmond, and Dana Elcar.

Adam Gaines, a semantics professor at UCLA, becomes complacent in his life and hears about the death of a relative in Missouri.

He drives cross-country to attend the funeral and pay his respects, deciding to spend the summer there working as a laborer.

Along the way, he meets Jerri Jo Hopper and falls in love, developing new friendships with the town locals.

He also received the orange Porsche that he drove in the film directly from Steve McQueen.