Deserted

Twenty-four-year-old Jae has spent seven years in prison for her mother’s murder. Returning home, she is haunted by memories and seeks escape, displaying a fiercely stubborn will to survive despite suspicion and trauma.

Jae’s older brother, pragmatic and protective yet increasingly wary of the group. He seeks an exit strategy when survival becomes uncertain, contrasting with his family ties and loyalty.

Robin’s girlfriend who joins the road trip but dies early in the journey, possibly from a peyote reaction. Her death heightens the group’s fragility and fear.

A member of the festival group who succumbs to dehydration after the desert ordeal, representing the harsh consequences of dehydration and exposure.

A friend in the group who dies during the sandstorm aftermath; her death underscores the desert’s mercilessness and the group’s fragility.

A good Samaritan who helps tow the car and eventually joins the journey, representing a potential anchor of safety who becomes part of the survival dynamic.

A local mechanic who explains the car repair timeline, becoming a catalyst that delays the group’s escape and emphasizes looming danger.

A member of the group whose tensions with Robin heighten the risk of conflict and poor decision-making under pressure.

Stays behind to care for Wade and copes with the crisis, eventually choosing suicide after losing hope.

Bitten by a rattlesnake and rendered unable to continue, becoming dependent on others and signaling the group’s fragility.

A bar server who interacts with the group, providing a brief moment of normalcy before the travelers head toward the desert’s dangers.