After the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern, a widow in her sixties, finds herself displaced and financially unstable following the death of her husband and the loss of her longtime job. With few options left and an indomitable spirit, Fern decides to sell most of her belongings and purchase a van to live in and travel the country as a modern-day nomad. Embracing a life outside conventional society, she begins a journey through the vast landscapes of the American West, taking on seasonal work wherever she can find it, from working at an Amazon fulfillment center to harvesting beets and cleaning campground facilities.

Along the way, Fern encounters other nomads who, like her, have chosen to live off the grid. She forms a mosaic of friendships and connections within this thriving community bonded by their shared sense of loss, need for autonomy, and resilience. These fellow travelers become her mentors in the art of survival and teach her how to navigate the challenges of nomadic life, from weathering the elements to fixing her van. Fern's voyage becomes not only a physical passage through the changing seasons but also a deep personal journey, as she contemplates her past, adapts to her ever-shifting present, and confronts the meaning of home and what it means to be truly self-sufficient.