He tells his daughter Renee he's going bird hunting on the dry steppes east of the Cascade Mountains for a few days, or, as he puts it: "I want to go back to my old stomping grounds."

On the way his SUV breaks down, but a couple of young rock climbers give him a ride to his destination.

It was in this general region where he met and courted Rachel, the woman he would later marry, and the landscape is full of powerful memories which come back to haunt him.

Annie Gonzalez plays the veterinarian Anita Romero, to whom Ben brings his injured dog.

[7] East of the Mountains had its first showing in April 2021 as part of the virtual Seattle International Film Festival.