Zoe (
Vanessa Zima) is a teenage girl growing up in Michigan, where she's grown frustrated with life in the Midwest and is at odds with her mother (
Kim Greist), who refuses to break things off with her boyfriend, who often beats her. Zoe wants to find a new direction in her life, and when she learns that one of her ancestors was a Cherokee Indian, she decides to explore her Native American heritage. Two of Zoe's friends, Ally (
Victoria Davis) and Sarah (
Stephi Lineburg), want to go to California, and since Zoe thinks she can find a spiritual guide in New Mexico, she decides to join them as they steal a car and head west. En route, Zoe makes the acquaintance of Cecelia (
Jenny Seagrove), a British woman who is heading out to Navajo territory to scatter the ashes of her late mother, and Zoe believes she's met a mirror-version of herself (albeit a few years older).
Zoe was the first feature film from director
Deborah Attoinese, who also co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide