Burn Your Maps

Husband and wife Connor (Marton Csokas) and Alise (Vera Farmiga) are seeing a marriage counselor. It is immediately obvious they are going through a traumatic time as a family, having lost a six-month-old daughter. Alise is so depressed she is taking heavy doses of antidepressant and unable to be sexual intimate with Connor, though oddly she has offered him only "blowjobs." She also has told him he is free to find a "girlfriend," which he declines. This marriage breakdown affects the rest of their family including their college-age daughter, Becca (Taylor Geare), and their eight-year-old son, Wes (Jacob Tremblay). After a school family day when the classroom presents their family roots, Wes dresses as a Mongolian herdsman and claims he wants to known by "Ganzorig." Alise seems to welcome this, but Connor is alarmed by his revelations and actions. After an angry dispute, without notice, she leaves with her son and Indian filmmaker, Ismail (Suraj Sharma), for Mongolia to make his film. In Mongolia, they connect with a retired Catholic nun, Victoria (Virginia Madsen), and an attractive tour guide, Batbayar (Ramón Rodríguez). In the remote countryside, they meet with a Mongolian goat-herding outpost. Wes helps deliver baby goats, rides a horse and spends time with them. Alise is attracted to tour guide. One night while drinking wine, they begin to kiss and she fondles his chest while Ismail secretly films them. Wes interrupts them and becomes very upset at this. While they are away, Connor struggles staying sober, being a member of AA. At his office, lonely, he asks out a female co-worker for drinks; it is implied they have sex. He later watches a video emailed from Mongolia; with Becca who is away at computer camp, he shares it and they speak over the phone. Connor realizes the recent loss of both his father and their baby has affected Wes also. Meanwhile, in Mongolia, Wes takes off from his mother to find his recent Mongolian friend. Ismail catches him as he leaves and phones Connor who immediately flies to Mongolia to rescue his son. Alise meets them at the airport. Wes brings a sick goat to the goat-herder but it dies first. They discuss life after death. Connor and Alise sit and speak with the shaman who instinctively knows about the death of their baby. They grieve together. They both forgive each other for their infidelity. Later, at home, the family is reunited and happy. They stay in touch with Ismail who stayed behind with a Mongolian woman with whom he fell in love. The couple is shown welcoming the birth of their son, named "Wes" in honor. In the last scene, horseman Wes is seen galloping in Mongolia alone.