Deserted 2016

In Ridgecrest, California, Jae, a twenty-four-year-old woman, is released from prison for the murder of her mother seven years earlier. She is reunited with her older brother, Robin, at their childhood home and immediately confronts the memories that still haunt that place.

When Jae learns that Robin will soon join a desert music festival, Burn the Moon, in Death Valley, with his girlfriend Rosemary and her friends Heather and Jasmine, she decides to tag along.

On the road, the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. A good Samaritan, Clay, tows the car to a local mechanic, Archer, who says it will take at least two days to fix. While waiting at a nearby bar served by Lizard, a trio of men—Troy, Dax and Wade—also headed toward the festival, invite the group to ride with them in their RV.

As they head toward Death Valley, they take a wrong turn in the dark and must camp for the night. The group experiments with peyote; Jae and Troy share a quasi-romantic moment, and Jasmine, unaware of the consequences, accidentally drains the RV battery by playing with the headlights while high.

Morning reveals tragedy: Rosemary is dead, with the cause ambiguous—overdose or a dangerous peyote reaction. The RV is stranded, there is no cell service, and the group must move on on foot, leaving Rosemary’s body behind.

What follows is a brutal test of endurance. Over the next 72 hours, Wade is bitten by a rattlesnake and cannot continue; Dax stays behind to help and ultimately dies. Tension builds between Robin and Troy, prompting Robin to strike out alone in search of help.

A ferocious sandstorm arrives, suffocating and killing Jasmine. Although surviving the storm, Dax loses hope and ends his life by leaping off a cliff. Jae and Heather split from Troy; Heather dies of dehydration.

In the finale, a rescue helicopter spots Robin, suggesting a rescue. Jae finds a road and is picked up by a passing family, offering a glimmer of safety. After the credits roll, the final image follows Troy as he encounters the now-ended Burn the Moon festival, leaving the fates of the others open to interpretation.