The Mountain, the River and the Road

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Jeff is a failing post-college writer whose parents are finally kicking him out of the house. With this in mind, Jeff starts out on a road trip to Austin, TX with his friend, Tom; a final grasp at youthful freedom. All is well until Tom's ex-girlfriend intercepts Tom's paycheck, forcing him to return home and resolve his relationship problems. While Tom leaves with his tail between his legs to sort everything out, Jeff decides to stay behind in the town of Kernville, CA in hopes that he will be struck with inspiration as he avoids the pressures of home. Unfortunately, all he ends up doing is staying indoors and watching daytime television while eating Slim Jims and pork rinds. Then one day, after locking himself out of his motel room, Jeff meets Cat, a young attractive woman also at a cross roads in her life, who just happens to work at the front desk of the motel. Jeff quickly finds excuses to visit her at work, the two begin spending more and more time together and before you know it, romance has unexpectedly entered their lives. Cutting up a fallen tree for firewood, exploring dark caverns, encountering a dead bear, and night sledding in the woods are just some of the adventures in store for Cat and Jeff as they begin to fall in love. Everything is in place for a great winter romance between the young couple, but the impending return of Tom, the continuation of the road trip, and the unshakable burden of responsibility hover as a reminder of how fleeting this romance is.