Deserted

Jae is released from prison after serving seven years for murdering her mother. She reunites with her older brother Robin at their childhood home in Ridgecrest and confronts the memories that haunt her. The reunion triggers her desire to escape these memories and start anew.

Robin reveals he will travel to Burn the Moon, a desert festival in Death Valley, with his girlfriend Rosemary and friends Heather and Jasmine. Jae decides to tag along, hoping the trip will offer a new start away from Ridgecrest. The plan sets the stage for a road trip that will test the group's dynamics.

On the way, the car breaks down in the desert and a good Samaritan named Clay helps tow them to a local mechanic, Archer. Archer tells them the repair will take at least two days, leaving the group stranded. They wait in a nearby town, uncertain about their chances of making the festival.

While waiting at a local bar, three guys—Troy, Dax, and Wade—offer to drive the group to Burn the Moon in their RV. The group agrees and hops into the vehicle, setting off with uneasy camaraderie. The ride quickly reveals tensions and unpredictability.

The party takes a wrong turn in the darkness and must camp for the night in the harsh desert. The isolation compounds the group's nervous energy as they try to navigate by stars. A sense of foreboding settles over the night.

The group experiments with peyote, and Jae and Troy share a moment that hints at romance. Jasmine, high and unaware of danger, accidentally damages the RV battery while fiddling with the headlights. In the morning, Rosemary is found dead, likely from a peyote reaction or overdose.

The group wakes to Rosemary's death, with the RV stranded and no cell reception. They abandon Rosemary's body and begin trekking on foot through the desert in search of help. The heat and isolation intensify their desperation.

Over the next 72 hours, Wade is bitten by a rattlesnake and can no longer continue. Dax stays behind to tend to Wade, and Wade eventually dies. The group begins to fracture as hope dwindles and responsibilities shift.

Tensions between Robin and Troy escalate until Robin decides to go off alone to seek help. The decision deepens the group's fragmentation as some stay behind while others pursue different goals. The desert becomes a maze with no clear path forward.

A massive sandstorm engulfs the group, disorienting and suffocating them. Jasmine perishes during the storm, underscoring the lethal costs of surviving in the desert. The remaining survivors struggle to maintain morale and direction.

Dax, having survived the storm, sees no way out and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff. Separately, Jae and Heather separate from Troy, and Heather dies of dehydration as supplies dwindle. The group is reduced to a few individuals left to press on.

A helicopter eventually locates Robin, suggesting his rescue is imminent. Jae finds a road and is picked up by a passing family, offering a sliver of safety. After the credits, Troy happens upon the Burn The Moon festival site, now over and deserted.