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John, a respected and well-liked carpenter in his small Wisconsin town, murders local town bully Dutch Miller. While disposing of the body in a bonfire, John accepts help from a friend, who becomes concerned when he notices traces of blood on John's clothes. John explains that he must have scratched himself while gathering wood. When he is alone, he sifts through the ashes to smash pieces of tooth and bone that remain.
In Chicago, John's nephew Ben becomes infatuated with a new coworker, Kate, at an advertising agency. After becoming friends, they meet for drinks at a bar. Ben describes how his uncle raised him after his mother died and father abandoned him. Although disappointed that Kate has a rule against dating co-workers, Ben accepts her help in setting up a one-night-stand at a bar. When she asks him to reciprocate the next day, they discuss what they look for in sexual partners. Kate says she likes strong men who are good with their hands, and Ben tells her that his uncle is a carpenter. Ben tries to kiss her, but she reminds him of her rule against dating coworkers; he awkwardly apologizes the next day.
As Kate and Ben grow closer, John and his friends gossip together about the town's inhabitants. Dutch is revealed to have become a born-again Christian, and as penance for his prior troublemaking, has been confessing to various people and apologizing. When his friends ask John whether Dutch had come to him about his sister, John says he has not seen Dutch in years. Dutch's brother, Danny, is also rumored to suspect his brother of having been murdered. John later runs into Danny near where Dutch's abandoned truck was found, and Danny says he has been taking note of all people who pass by for the past few days, on the belief that the killer will return to the scene of the crime. The sheriff stops by John's house to warn him that Danny has grown suspicious of several people, including John.
While discussing their favorite restaurants, Kate suggests a spontaneous road trip to visit Ben's hometown. There, they visit John, and all meet up with Danny. Danny storms off after John denies meeting with Dutch and refuses to discuss what happened between Dutch and John's sister, who apparently committed suicide when Dutch broke off their affair. That night, Ben and Kate admit their attraction to each other and make out, while John kills Danny, who has come onto his property with a pistol, gasoline, and lighter. While driving back, Kate describes her family, who she says are all crazy because of their quirks; Ben says that his uncle is normal. As John burns Danny's corpse in a bonfire, the sheriff comes by to warn him about Danny, who has gone missing but left behind a pistol in his car.
