The loss of their mother years ago has left the Coates boys adrift, each longing for a connection to a woman they never knew. A separation has grown between Tully and his reclusive father (Bob Burrus), who lives in isolation even as he works side by side with his sons. Determined not to meet the same lonely fate, Tully runs wild with the women in town though he is careful to keep them all at a safe distance.

Tully's shy younger brother Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) is just the opposite, possessing an emotional maturity to comprehend things that Tully has yet to see or feel. In his quiet way, Earl is in Tully's shadow - but Earl knows something that Tully may not yet be able to handle.

The one thing that Tully and Earl do have in common is an appreciation for Earl's straight-talking best friend Ella (Julianne Nicholson), a young woman smart enough to refuse overtures from a womanizer like Tully and strong enough to become his friend. As Earl watches warily, Tully becomes closer to Ella than anyone expected - but when devastating news pushes Tully into her arms, he runs away before he can begin to feel what might be true love.

Tully's discovery of a long buried secret that now threatens his family and their farm brings him to confront his father about the ghosts of a past that have pushed them apart. When he discovers that his father's decisions were made out of love for his family, Tully begins to appreciate his father's strength. With the air cleared, Tully's own true feelings emerge.

The film is based on the award-winning story by Tom McNeal , with the screenplay adaptation by Matt Drake and Hilary Birmingham. "Tully" is Birmingham's feature directing debut and is produced by Annie Sundberg and Birmingham.