Tennessee

Carter, then a young man, learns his mother is being abused again. He and Laurel decide to leave Tennessee and take his younger brother Ellis with them, seeking a safer start elsewhere. The plan is to escape their familiar life and begin anew.

In 2007, Carter, now an adult, learns Ellis has acute leukemia. Ellis tells him they may need to go back to Tennessee to find a bone marrow donor because Carter is not a match and their mother is deceased. The urgency of the situation forces them to consider a trip to Tennessee to seek a possible donor.

On the road to Tennessee, their car breaks down and they stop at a local diner where they meet Krystal. She isn't thrilled with her job but agrees to talk and help when needed. Krystal eventually joins them on the trip to Tennessee.

Krystal brings the trio to her house, but her husband Frank, an abusive sheriff, disapproves of the arrangement. In the morning, Krystal decides to leave Frank and escape with the boys, seeking freedom from his controlling behavior.

The trio heads to a bar and dances for a bit until Carter gets drunk and inappropriately touches Krystal. She becomes angry, and the fragile trust between them is shaken.

Frank reports Krystal kidnapped and uses a license plate to track them. Krystal trades plates, but Frank still catches up on the road, sparking a tense confrontation.

Krystal outsmarts Frank and they escape to a nearby train station, continuing their journey toward Tennessee.

They arrive in Tennessee with little money. Krystal considers pawning her guitar, but Carter spots a flyer for a singing contest and urges her to enter it as a way to earn enough money.

Frank arrives late in Tennessee and sees a girl being abused, reminding him of Krystal. He has an epiphany about his own relationship with Krystal, and instead of pursuing her, he goes to the bar, where he watches Krystal perform and lets her go.

Krystal wins the singing contest and, in a generous gesture, gives them just enough money to continue their journey. The three part ways as she continues toward her own dreams.

On the bus, Carter learns Ellis has fainted and rushes him to a hospital for treatment. The family struggles with the sudden health scare as they try to keep moving.

Ellis wakes and asks for a picture of a mountain from a nearby middle school. Carter discovers that Laurel is working there as a teacher and feels anxious about talking to her, unsure if the past can be repaired.

Carter goes to their old house and learns their father Roy is dead; a neighbor reveals the death happened five years earlier. Ellis had orchestrated the Tennessee trip and left a package for Carter containing a letter explaining the plan and hinting that Laurel might still be reachable.

Ellis ultimately succumbs to leukemia, and Krystal visits him on his deathbed. Carter and Krystal scatter Ellis's ashes on the mountain to honor his memory and their bond.

Krystal returns home while Carter vows to wait for her big break as a singer. He travels to the middle school and finds Laurel, and the film fades to black before we learn whether he approaches her to talk.