Eddie has dropped out of school and has been hanging out at the beach, smoking pot and boozing with the boys. Devoid of hope, he sees no reason to build a future for himself because he feels it's all going to be destroyed in a nuclear war anyway. Then one day, caught in a riptide, he is swept out to sea and picked up by a Japanese fisherman and his 17-year old granddaughter. The old man is a survivor of Hiroshima. He's had a lot to put together. But he's done it. He's wise. And the girl is attractive, physically and spiritually. She radiates joy. Living and working with them, Eddie is forced to face the fateful question: has life any meaning? Is it benevolent or cruel...a good or a bad deal?