An old white man is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Seeking a last bit of freedom, he decides to take a road trip to the Grand Canyon. He has no living relatives, and his wife is dead. Along the way he meets a young black woman at a truck stop who is working as a prostitute. Although they spend the night together, he pays her to simply be with him...not to have sex. In the morning, he hires her to be his companion. He is a Vietnam vet, an ex-Marine, and he has acquired lot of wealth from a successful career as a statistician. They share stories about their lives with each other and, gradually, they begin to trust and depend on each other. He knows his time is limited, and his close proximity to death changes his perception of life.