Lauren Bryan, 17, has been living on her own for longer than she cares to remember, submerged in habits of escape. In her small rural unincorporated town of Brazito, MO, population unknown, Lauren struggles to find meaning and purpose. Her parents are both incarcerated for separate murders, and both were addicted to methamphetamine.

Lauren and her partner Chelsea, 21, try to find safe harbor in one another. They live on a farm in a house Lauren’s father didn’t complete building. The home is without running water and heat but is not the homelessness she once knew. Even amid the loss and addiction, Lauren still has glimpses of clarity. She recently reenrolled in an alternative high school program in Eldon, MO, which provides hope that her life can take a different trajectory than that of her mother’s and father’s.