Reese was a young man with the world at his feet when he was drafted to fight in Vietnam, a conflict that was so controversial he was not fully convinced it was a just battle. He and best friend, Chris did their tour of duty, with Reese being injured and spending months in hospital after being shipped home. He suffers from nightmares and flashbacks but is working towards resuming his normal life when everything is changed in an instant. He takes his Harley out with dire results that will change his life, and his outlook, forever.

A Tattered Weed explores the psychological impact of war on young minds and the need to establish an identity when everything seems unreal. He struggles to accept that anyone would want to be close to him and rejects the person he loves most, Brooke, because he sees himself as unlovable.

He finds solace in his guitar and in his writing but life has a way of throwing him into situations with which he is too broken to be able to successfully deal. He forms a band with Chris and finds a small amount of success but life takes another turn when he meets, and later marries, the frigid Alicia. The consequences of this union provide yet another watershed in his life.