Third-generation Florida beekeeper Ulee Jackson (Peter Fonda) may have gotten out of Vietnam alive, but he left a part of himself behind. Now he methodically tends his bees, carefully provides for those who need him, and vigilantly keeps his emotions at bay. But when both his family and his livelihood are threatened by a long-buried secret, Ulee must break through his emotional walls, find the strength to change, and begin life anew.

Ulee, a Florida beekeeper, must struggle not only to earn a living, but to keep his two grandchildren from falling into the same self-destructive paths blazed by their parents. With a son in prison and the children's mother having long abandoned the family, he has his work cut out for him. But when he receives news that his daughter-in-law has been found, drugged out and hitting rock bottom, he dutifully shoulders the burden--only to find that in so doing, he has unwittingly opened the door to the world's dark side which he had tried so desperately to keep closed. Fonda won a Golden Globe as Best Actor for his turn as the Zen-like patriarch. Academy Award Nomination: Best Actor--Peter Fonda.