A disillusioned war veteran discovers the ability to time-travel to 1950s America, where he must prevent a tragic event from his past while being pursued by a ruthless criminal from the future, only to realize that the antagonist is actually his future self, leading to a bittersweet sacrifice to preserve the timeline.
Protagonist: A disillusioned war veteran who accidentally discovers a way to travel back in time to the 1950s America and is determined to right the wrongs of the past; Antagonist: A ruthless criminal from the future who sees the 1950s as an opportunity to establish a criminal empire and will do anything to prevent the protagonist from interfering.
The protagonist discovers the ability to time-travel and is determined to prevent a tragic event from his past, but the antagonist from the future is hot on his trail, creating a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase through 1950s America.
In the final showdown, the protagonist manages to prevent the tragic event from his past, altering the course of history. The antagonist is defeated and the protagonist decides to stay in the 1950s, finding a new purpose and a chance at a different life. The novel ends with the protagonist embracing the opportunities of the past and looking forward to a new future.
Twist: It is revealed that the antagonist is actually a future version of the protagonist, driven to criminality by the consequences of altering the past. The protagonist realizes that he must sacrifice his chance at a new life in order to preserve the timeline and prevent his future self from becoming the antagonist. In a bittersweet ending, he returns to his own time, accepting the tragic event as an integral part of his journey.