Set in 1968, Francis Coppola's Gardens Of Stone takes place at Fort Myer, Virginia, where young Army recruit Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) is assigned to the Old Guard, who provide the pomp and ceremony for burials at Arlington National Cemetery. His commanding officer, Sgt. Clell Hazard (James Caan), a decorated combat veteran, tries to look out for the young soldier. Reporter and activist Samantha Davis (Anjelica Huston) becomes Clell's lover; Sgt. Goody Nelson (James Earl Jones) is his best friend. After Jackie and Clell establish a close bond, Jackie finally gets his wish, is accepted into officer training, marries his longtime sweetheart (Mary Stuart Masterson) and is headed for Vietnam. But Clell knows that this war is unlike any other, and once Jackie leaves the safety of the states, anything can happen.