Struggling with the loss of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, a woman seeks self-discovery and redemption on a solo trek. Battling a history of reckless behavior and heroin addiction, she makes an impulsive decision to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, one of America's longest and toughest through-trails. Unprepared and inexperienced, she faces the daunting challenge of the harsh wilderness, confronting her physical limitations and personal demons along the way.

As she embarks on her journey, she encounters a series of fellow hikers who mirror her emotional state and serve as touchstones for her introspection. Flashbacks to her life before the hike reveal the depths of her troubled relationships and the impact of her mother's death, which precipitated a downward spiral of grief and self-destructive actions. The hike becomes a metaphor for her struggle against her past and the punishing process of healing, as each step forward on the trail is a step away from her former life.