A young man finds that he must choose jail or the military and opts for the latter. He finds that he might have made a mistake. Then he has an awakening in which he realizes he is responsible for his own foolishness and becomes a model soldier. He only wants one medal, the good conduct medal because it was the medal his favorite uncle showed him the night before he was killed. Now in pursuit of the Good Conduct Medal he finds that often in pursuit of something it often becomes elusive.