Elle Marja, 14, is a reindeer-breeding Sami girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930s and phrenological examinations at her boarding school, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.

Marianne, 44, has been living with the lawyer Gustaf in a conventional sexless marriage for way too long. She wants a separation, but Gustav settles for a trial separation. As Marianne indulges in being newly single, Gustaf is perplexed by the sudden turn of events and in his confusion makes a completely irrational career change: he quits his job to start writing poetry. Meanwhile, Marianne meets the artist Rodolfo, the complete opposite of Gustaf; intriguing, emotional, impulsive. And horny.

From a small town in northern Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan, "Where Soldiers Come From" follows the journey of childhood friends who join the National Guard after graduating from high school. It chronicles the young men's transformation from teenagers to soldiers to 23-year-old combat veterans. The film offers an intimate look at the young men who fight our wars.