It centers on a divorced father and his teenage daughter who run out of fuel in a small desert town and are forced to stay there in a run down trailer park while they attempt to find fuel for their car where at the same time, a series of killings begin to take place as the daughter becomes the obsession of two troublesome boys.

Barrymore's book, Little Girl Lost, which describes her battles with addiction, was written around the same time as this film was made.

They meet Agnes's troubled teenage son Jimmy as well as their neighbors, fellow travelers Louise and Amy.

That night, Agnes is killed when a hand reaches in through her bathroom window and pushes a small fan into the bathtub water, electrocuting her.

After Joleen takes her diary back, Pinky chases her up to the top platform of a nearby radio tower.

Duckett, who is sitting in a nearby vehicle with a rifle in his hands, fires a shot that causes Pinky to fall off of the tower.

He killed Agnes when she demanded payment of overdue rent and blew up the car to stop Joleen from leaving.

Afterwards an angry Jimmy, who had escaped from Sheriff Childers's car, is seen walking along some railroad tracks, to parts unknown.