Conn is in his junior year of high school in America, and the future isn’t looking too bright. He’s failing half his classes (again), his teachers hate him, and he can’t stop getting in fights with the other guys. On top of all that, his best friend Aaron is dating the girl he’s liked since elementary school, Everly. Conn eventually proves to Everly he is the better man, the more sensitive and kind man who will treat her how she deserves to be treated.

Everly breaks up with Aaron and starts dating Conn, the start of his happy ending. After graduating high school, Conn and Everly get married and the future begins to look bright. However, this light is soon shattered when Conn gets drafted in the Vietnam War at nineteen years old. In Vietnam, Conn gets slammed with a cultural shock and his view on life and the world is changed. Not only does he have to endure high humidity, rats crawling in his bed, and sickening food, he also has to fight in the darkness of the jungle and witness his fellow soldiers’ deaths. One evening, Conn gets a surprise summons from his commanding officer with a message: he gets to go home early. Could he get his happy ending after all?

Back in America, life at home with Everly is not all he dreamed it would be. He suffers from PTSD and nightmares that wake him up screaming. Everly becomes pregnant with their first child, but the baby dies at birth. Conn blames God for all the bad things that have happened in his life, and he struggles with his faith. However, Conn eventually gets his happy ending with three healthy kids of his own, a successful business, and later ten grandkids.

Note: Samples should not be read as models. They are provided for discussion.