This film is a revealing portrait of a tough cop with a big heart. Sergeant Bernie "Whistling" Smith walks the beat on Vancouver's Eastside, the hangout of petty criminals, down-and-outs and a variety of characters. His policing is unorthodox. To many drug users, petty thieves and prostitutes in this economically depressed area he is more than the iron hand of the law, he is also a counsellor and a friend.

Five astronauts make the first manned trip to Mars in the second decade of the 21st century. They must battle and overcome inferior computer components, corporate greed and indifference, and their own personal problems, as well as the surprises that the Red Planet has in store for them.