Young and restless Nick Adams, the only son of a domineering mother and a weak but noble doctor father, leaves his rural Michigan home to embark on an eventful cross-country journey. He is touched and affected by his encounters with a punch-drunk ex-boxer, a sympathetic telegrapher, and an alcoholic advanceman for a burlesque show. After failing to get a job as reporter in New York, he enlists in the Italian army during World War I as an ambulance driver. His camaraderie with fellow soldiers and a romance with a nurse he meets after being wounded propel him to manhood.
Nick Adams
Carolyn
Contessa
Mr. Turner
Billy Campbell
Telegrapher
Bugs
Dr. Henry Adams
Major Padula
The Battler
Rosanna
Mrs. Helen Adams
John
Brakeman
City Editor
Rosanna's Father
Eddy Boulton
Mayor
Joe Boulton
George
Nick Adams
Carolyn
Contessa
Mr. Turner
Billy Campbell
Telegrapher
Bugs
Dr. Henry Adams
Major Padula
The Battler
Rosanna
Mrs. Helen Adams
John
Brakeman
City Editor
Rosanna's Father
Eddy Boulton
Mayor
Joe Boulton
George