Down for Life

World War II has ended and many soldiers return to their houses and families. But three of them find themselves with big problems when they arrive at their home village.

Paula Tobias, a Holocaust survivor who has suffered the ultimate personal tragedy of losing her spouse and children during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Now re-married and living in America during the late 1960's with husband David, they build a new life together with sons Ben and Jake. One evening, Paula receives a phone call which assures her that her son, Alec, is actually alive and in New York. This brings up painful memories from the past for everyone involved, including Ben and Jake, who force their father to talk about the Holocaust. Paula rushes to New York only to find that it was a mistake - Alec was never found. She falls into a dramatic depression, as the family confronts their fears and tries to stay together.

When Nina's husband goes out of town for several weeks on a business trip, Nina hooks up with a photographer. Told from a reporter's point of view, his interviews with Nina and the photographer provide comic insights.

A father uses the serial number on a hand gun in an attempt to track down his daughter's killer. The truth he uncovers is an unsettling reminder of the dangers of keeping handguns.

A man (Timothy Hutton) spends the night before his wedding searching for his lost shoe with the help of an unhappily married woman (Maria Grazia Cucinotta).

A chef falls in love with a woman engaged to a hockey player and is asked to cater the wedding.

The sailor is "persuaded" by a princess to help her rescue her kingdom from something fishy.

Denny Traynor has the idyllic life a loving wife and family, a flourishing career. Seems like life is perfect until some policemen from another break into their home one night and arrest him for a twenty year old murder. Initially, Denny denies the accusations made against him but when evidence is presented that implicates him, he is then extradited to stand trial. When his wife, whose faith has been shaken asks him what happened, he tells her that he did kill the man they said he killed but in self-defense. However, when there is no evidence that supports his claim, his wife wonders if he has told her the truth, and if she should continue to support him.