[1] The film stars Thomas Haden Church as Bruce, an unemployed snowplow driver in rural Quebec who develops a pseudo-friendship with Paul, a man who hides his deep disturbances behind a facade of warm demeanor which is slowly revealed through a series of sporadic flashbacks.

Stranded in the freezing cold without supplies, he initially sets off to find help but returns to the snowplow when he sees no nearby signs of civilization.

Bruce, a widower who has fallen on hard times after he lost his job due to drunkenly crashing his snowplow into a restaurant, explains that he can not help Paul.

Frustrated and unable to hobble back to civilization, he camps out on Eric's land and engages in more imaginary conversations with the police.

When he realises that two men are looking for him either the police or accomplices of Eric, Bruce attempts to hide in the snowplow banging his boot and attracting attention but they pass away.

Bruce is obviously beginning to starve as he attempts to eat tree bark and is numbingly bored as the area around the snowplow becomes increasingly worn down.

The film's epilogue is Bruce voice of thought; with two life observances: "every guilty person is his own hangman", "...and each new day will be better"; concluding with, "Goddamn, it's freezing."

[3] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Thomas Haden Church hits the exact balance of desperation and resignation demanded by the peculiar story".

[1] Bruce Demara of the Toronto Star wrote, "Despite Church's solid performance, Whitewash feels so leaden in its gravity, it borders on dull.