Proverbs 27:17. “As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.” Two men adrift in life, one soulless, the other homeless, clash through a winter sleep program for the homeless. One man is broke and needs the meager pay he'll get for running the program. The other man needs to use the program just to survive the cold winter months. Each man teaches the other how to cope with life’s setbacks, learn simple human compassion, and they set each other on new life paths.

SYNOPSIS:

Proverbs 27:17. “As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.” The bills pile up fast on Rick when he is suddenly fired from his job. Across town, homeless alcoholic Bourbon Bob watches his tent wash away with the runoff from recent heavy rains. No one is about to help him; he is hugely unpopular and even feared among the homeless community. Rick stumbles upon a notice about the COTS (Community Outreach Through Shelter) Program. The program provides the homeless with a warm, dry sleep site each night of the week during the cold and wet winter months. The local community center for the disadvantaged needs someone to run the program over the upcoming season. Rick is a fish out of water, but he's also out of options. He takes the job. Bourbon Bob too, is out of options. He will now need to use the COTS program.

Soon enough, it’s opening night. It's rough, but Rick manages to get through it. He redoubles his efforts during the day to find another job. In fact, both Rick and Bourbon Bob, each on their own, apply for various jobs but neither gets past the first interview. Rick’s girlfriend leaves him. Now with nothing of his former life to distract him, Rick is drawn into the lives of the homeless clients. The pastor of a local church helps steer him and Rick not only sees the homeless from a different perspective, he comes to understand them. Bourbon Bob in fact is deeply flawed, but through him, Rick learns what it really takes to survive on the streets and in life itself. Rick offers to help both Bourbon Bob and another alcoholic, Big Dave with their life situations. But both flake on him. Dave is held back by an old hurt; Bob can’t forgive himself for past failures.

Days slip by. Seasons change. The close of the COTS Program looms. The clients will again have to fend for themselves on the streets. One evening out of the blue, Big Dave shows up with a dire medical condition. Rick wants to cheer him up but tragically Gary, another of the homeless, gets to him first. Gary undermines Big Dave’s faith in the future. Totally deflated, Big Dave self-destructs and jumps in front of a truck on the freeway, instantly killing himself! Rick and Bourbon Bob are overwhelmingly dismayed. Rick feels he’s accomplished nothing and has no future. Bourbon Bob turns cynical and bitter, believing you can’t escape a failed past. The stage is set for a confrontation that profoundly alters both of their lives and puts each on a more fulfilling path. Eyes opened to his deeper self, Rick finds a new purpose in life. Able to forgive himself for past failures, Bob moves on to a future based on hope and possibilities. “As iron sharpens iron; one man sharpens another.”