A Rare Thing A Rare Thing is a story of redemption and forgiveness. In the small New Mexico town of San Carlos in the 1950s and 60s, a motherless Chicano youngster, Javier Jimenez, finds himself forced into manhood by circumstances not of his own choosing. The boy's father, Nicolas, a Korean War veteran who earned his singular moment of glory when he was awarded the military's Medal of Honor, loves and cares for his son dearly. But as he drinks himself into the depths of alcoholism, he struggles through life wallowing in self-pity. Javier tries his best to cope not only with his own loneliness but the day-to-day hardships of living with an alcoholic father. Nicolas finds his sobriety when he meets Ramona at a local bar. He marries her, thinking that will fulfill his needs, but his hopes are short lived, soon discovering he can't escape his loneliness. Into this setting enters Deborah Perkins. She moves into Javier's neighborhood. Deborah's father, fascinated by Southwestern culture, chose where his family was to live. Javier and Deborah eventually fall in love, much to the chagrin of Deborah's mother, who doesn't' share her husband's fondness for the area's culture and believes her daughter can do much better than what she thinks Javier has to offer. Tragedy strikes, and Javier moves to California to live with an aunt and uncle. Deborah and he struggle to continue their relationship despite the distance and Deborah's mother's prejudices. Confused and unsure of his future, Javier leaves college to join the Army and ends up in Vietnam, where he sees his fellow soldiers dying every day. Reminiscing about his father, he must face his own mortality, as he grapples with his own identity. Nicolas's spirit appears at a critical moment with words to give Javier strength. Contemplating the real possibility of his death and that he may never see Deborah again, he reconciles with himself, gaining strength from visions of his father as a good man who had more than his share of bad luck. Javier comes to grips with whether he has forgiven him for his frailties and failure as a parent.
