Lawrence Bourne III (Tom Hanks, at his obnoxious best) is having a bad day: He's on the lam for a gambling debt, and ends up in the Peace Corps in Thailand. A misfit amongst do-gooders Tom Tuttle (John Candy) and Beth Wexler (Rita Wilson), who are helping locals build a bridge and teaching survival skills, skills that become necessary for Lawrence, too, when the village becomes a battleground. So much for romancing Beth.