While tooling along the Pacific Coast, drifter Vann Siegert (Owen Wilson) rolls into a quaint little town, where a middle-aged couple (Brian Cox and Mercedes Ruehl) takes him in as a boarder. Vann lands a job at the post office, and his amiable demeanor wins over the townsfolk in short order. Little do they suspect the homicidal intentions hiding behind Vann's all-American looks and magnetic charm.