When estranged mother Melody (Barbara Hershey) returns to the remote desert town of Fairlands to attend her grown daughter's funeral, she learns of River (Yusuf Davids), the grandson she never knew she had. Melody wants to raise him, but the wild 10-year-old has plans of his own. Roaming the streets with other untended children, River dismisses Melody's efforts -- until a sandstorm brings them together to confront their painful pasts.