Eric is tossed into the dirt after being discovered as a stowaway on a train. On foot, he wanders into a railroad yard and asks the boss for a job. The boss turns him down, and Eric practically begs for work. Another worker, Jake, calls out to the boss to hire him: Eric is his cousin, he claims, and they’re down a man. Eric knows it’s a lie, but he doesn’t object. He needs the money for his travels as he continues to hunt Skorzeny. The boss knows it’s a ruse, but relents and sends Eric to the office to get set up on the payroll.

Later, on break, a vending machine eats Eric’s money without giving up the soda. Frustrated, he smacks the machine to no effect. Jake strolls over and tells him you have to use a little tenderness, then strikes the side of the machine with a precise, practiced punch. The soda drops instantly—but that isn’t what captures Eric’s attention. He’s seen that punch before. In that moment, he realizes he’s standing next to his childhood boxing hero: Sweet Jake Williams.

That was another lifetime. Jake shrugs it off, refusing to talk about his past, and walks away.

Later that day at a bar, Eric is nursing a beer when Dill, already well past drunk, starts looking for someone to buy the next round. He corners Eric, who refuses. Dill doesn’t take kindly to the answer. Before the fight can erupt inside, the bartender orders them to take it outside, where the brawl explodes immediately. When Dill grabs a weapon to tip the fight in his favor, Jake steps in and puts him down with a clean, devastating combination. Eric’s suspicions about who Jake really is are confirmed.

That evening, Eric heads to Jake’s place and spots him in the barn, working over a punching bag with the same flawless form he remembers. There’s no doubt now. Jake invites him in for a late supper. As they talk and Jake opens up about his career, Eric learns the truth: Jake walked away from boxing after he was paid to take a fall and refused. The men he cost a fortune have been looking for him ever since, forcing Jake and his family to stay on the move.

The real trouble comes when those men finally track Jake down and show up on his doorstep. With Eric’s change imminent as the danger closes in, it won’t be Sweet Jake who ends up getting knocked down.