Big Sky

After Hazel turns 18, Dee's ex-husband threatens to cut off child support unless Hazel agrees to treatment for her crippling agoraphobia. Dee, despite her hard-living lifestyle, reluctantly commits to helping Hazel get help. The conflict between mother and daughter sets the story's motivation in motion.

Hazel is reluctant to enter the van destined for treatment, and Dee hesitantly agrees to accompany her. The ride is tense, laden with past grievances and uneasy silences as they pull away from home.

To accommodate Hazel's fears, the center arranges that she travel in a box inside the van, isolating her from the outside world. The setup is intended to give Hazel a sense of security while still moving toward help.

While traveling through the desert, half-brothers Pru and Jesse ambush the van to kidnap a wealthy heiress. During the assault, Pru shoots Dee, wounding her but not killing her.

Jesse completes the violent clear-out, sparing the heiress and Hazel, who remain hidden inside Hazel's box. Dee lies wounded inside the van, clutching on to life as the attackers slip away.

Hazel tends to Dee's injuries and a map reveals a nearby reservation where help might be found. Dee discovers Hazel's note outlining why Hazel feels her mother hates her, deepening the emotional rift.

Hazel forces herself to move forward through the desert, focusing on simple goals like reaching one cactus after another. The dusty weather disrupts her pill-taking ritual, forcing her to abandon some pills, and she hallucinates the ghost of her dead sister during the trek.

Jesse learns from an inside contact that one of the patients is agoraphobic, implying Dee couldn't have carried out the kidnapping. When he and Pru return to the van, they find Hazel's box empty and Jessie leaves to find her. Dee locates a pistol and takes Pru hostage.

Hazel encounters a junkie named Clete who quotes Aldous Huxley and promises to help. His motorcycle turn-out is a disappointment, and his later rant about women leads to a tense moment when Hazel pepper-sprays him, only for Clete to grab and spray himself.

Hazel regains consciousness and is rescued by a kindly couple who found her near the reservation. They contact the police and offer to help return Hazel to her mother, hoping to provide safety and support.

On the road, a representative from the treatment center is dispatched to locate the missing van and guide Hazel toward safety. The couple shadowing Hazel agree to follow, hoping to protect her during the exchange.

All converge on Dee's location: Dee is still holding Pru at gunpoint, while the sheriff Jesse tries to take control. The representative's attempt to parlay ends in a brutal shoot-out where the couple kills the representative, Jesse, and Pru. Hazel rescues the heiress and tearfully reconciles with her mother, ending the ordeal.