The Wayward Ones

What if losing my father means losing my husband, the love of my life, my childhood best friend, too?

This is a question Adam can't stop asking as he spirals headfirst into addiction, all alone.

Three years married, Adam and Sam have lived a quiet and somewhat isolated life on the California coast, especially since Adam's father died. Sam knows that he's depressed, but it's the regular, mysterious disappearances that concern him most.

Ever avoidant, Sam is more than happy to bury his head in the sand and ride the situation out. Perhaps that's why it doesn't feel quite so dangerous to accept an out-of-the-blue invitation to spend Christmas in Idaho with his entire family, including his religious, homophobic father, who skipped his wedding and cut him off.

So, it's without much hesitation that Adam and Sam decide to go, though they're promptly reminded of the harsh reality when they're stuck in a cabin that feels much too small, pressed beneath the weight of dysfunction masquerading as love.

Alongside his equally disdained sister, Tiffany, Sam tries his best to toe the line, remain calm, and ignore the obvious problems with his loved ones. Unfortunately, beneath the scrutiny and brazen intolerance, Adam's mental health rapidly deteriorates, and his addiction takes control. When the true nature of his secretive behavior comes to light, it puts a marriage that means the world to both of them in peril, forcing them to choose between familial obligation and a passionate lifelong bond.

The Wayward Ones is an honest exploration of the raw realities of marital struggles, the difficulty of fractured family dynamics, and how to decide where reconciliation is or isn't deserved.