In an Instant

On a Friday afternoon, Finn sits in a bridal salon in Orange County, California, watching her sister, Aubrey, model her wedding gown for her mother, Ann, and Karen, a family friend. Finn is jealous that her other older sister, Chloe, escaped being maid of honor by making snide comments about marriage. As Ann and Karen swoon over the dress, Aubrey asks Finn how she looks. Finn responds with a single word: “nice.” Ann and Karen surround Aubrey and begin laughing, so Finn snaps a picture of the intimate moment. She sends it to Mo, who accuses Finn of being a secret romantic. Mo then asks if Finn has decided to ask Charlie McCoy to formal. Before Finn can respond, Aubrey gets her attention, and the sisters walk into the parking lot as Ann and Karen stop at the register.

Aubrey and Finn discuss the family’s upcoming ski trip, which their dad, Jack, thinks will help heal their family conflict, including Jack and Ann’s fighting; Chloe’s rebellious behavior; and the strain surrounding the demanding needs of their little brother, Oz, who is mentally disabled. Jack has also invited Mo; Chole’s boyfriend, Vance; and Bob, Karen, and Natalie Gold. Aubrey will be visiting her fiancé’s parents in Ohio, but she sympathizes with Finn’s dread of the trip.

When Ann and Karen join the girls in the parking lot, Karen persuades Finn to drive home despite Finn’s objections. Ann gives Finn the keys to her brand-new Mercedes SUV. Finn begins driving, and while nervous at first, manages to relax somewhat. However, Finn becomes distracted at a stop light and accidentally slams the brake, diminishing her confidence. At another light, Finn’s phone vibrates, causing her to hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Finn plows into the car in front of them. She puts the SUV in park and gets out while Ann talks to the other driver. A tow truck takes the other vehicle away, and Ann drives the remaining two blocks to the Millers’ home.

The four women arrive at the house and see 13-year-old Oz and Jack washing the Miller Mobile, a camper Jack bought as a teenager. Ann goes into the house without a word, and Karen walks to her house two doors away. Aubrey goes to their dad and recounts the accident in great detail, to Finn’s embarrassment. Oz continues spraying the camper, unconcerned with the family’s drama. He eventually becomes frustrated that Jack is talking to Aubrey, so he sprays her with the hose, soaking her instantly. Jack becomes angry and demands Oz stop. He returns to washing the camper with Oz and promises to teach Finn how to drive.

On the morning of the trip, the Miller family and their friends stand in the front yard as they prepare to leave. Mo is dressed in designer clothes and is excited to go on her first ski trip. Finn watches her mom interact with Bob. They love to tease and compete with each other. Natalie approaches Finn and talks about the accident. Natalie then says her parents will buy her a MINI Cooper, but Finn and Mo don’t engage with her. Mrs. Kaminski thanks Ann for including Mo in the trip, though she looks at the Miller Mobile with concern. Ann and Karen reassure Mrs. Kaminski that they will keep Mo safe, and Mrs. Kaminski leaves. Jack then calls for everyone to get into the trailer, and the group sets out on the three-hour drive to Big Bear.

By late afternoon, clouds have filled and darkened the sky. Mo and Finn chat quietly about Finn texting Charlie about formal. Finn has composed a text but is too afraid to send it. Suddenly, Mo sends the text for her, making Finn feel nauseous.

The group reaches the cabin at five o’clock. It’s snowing and dark. Everyone gets out of the Miller Mobile and begins unloading their supplies. Finn feels her phone vibrate; she desperately wants to check it, but her hands are full, and she must claim her bed. When she looks at her phone, Finn sees that Charlie has agreed to go to formal with her, thanking her for asking. Jack rounds everyone up for a pancake dinner at Grizzly Manor, though Ann suggests they stay in because of the growing snowstorm. Oz insists they go, so the group returns to the camper and leaves.

The weather has worsened significantly. Jack tells Finn to ride shotgun so he can teach her to drive in the snow. However, the blizzard requires his full attention and limits his visibility. They come upon a stranded car, so Jack approaches it and brings back a teenage boy named Kyle. Finn notices he is tall and good-looking, making her happy he’s joining them. Jack begins his slow progress again, and Mo chats with Kyle, captivating him with her beauty and personality. Suddenly, a deer appears in the road. Jack hits the brake, causing the camper to swerve. It slams into the guardrail, which halts it momentarily before giving way—the camper then topples down the mountainside.

Finn quickly realizes she’s dead. She sees everything clearly, including the blood covering her body. Finn moves freely, no longer restricted by gravity or even a physical form. The camper continues to slide. It hits a rock, slams into a tree, and stops on its side. Finn enters the trailer and sees Mo gripping the seat, eyes wide. Natalie is screaming, as is Oz, who is strapped to a chair and suspended in the air. Ann, Karen, and Bob lie in the middle of the camper. Kyle, Chloe, and Vance are crammed against the driver’s seat. Jack moans. When Finn tries to scream at Ann to help him, Finn doesn’t make a sound.

Jack sits wedged between the window and the steering wheel. The broken glass has cut his face, and his femur is broken and protruding from his jeans. Finn watches as her dad looks at the passenger seat and cries out. She then sees her body; her head is half-severed, her face frozen in a scream. Finn tries to tell her dad that she’s okay and that it didn’t hurt. Jack passes out from the pain.

Ann frees herself from the pile and walks toward the front of the blood-covered camper. On her way, Ann presses a scarf to a two-inch gash on Chloe’s head. On reaching the cab and seeing Finn, Ann gasps. Jack drifts in and out of consciousness, but Ann has no reception on her phone. Ann and Bob free Jack from the driver’s seat and take him to the back. Kyle cuts Mo out of her seatbelt, and Mo rushes to the front, crying when she sees Finn’s body. Mo holds Finn’s hand and talks to her, causing Finn to cry. Chloe wakes and looks toward Finn, her eyes filling with tears. Bob suggests they set Jack’s leg and stop the bleeding. His confidence comforts everyone, and they go quiet. As the missing windshield lets in the wind and snow, the passengers begin to shiver. Bob tries to move Jack’s leg, but Jack screams, forcing Bob to stop.

As the situation settles, Vance asks who’s going for help. Jack suggests they wait until morning because of the dark and storm. Ann agrees, but Vance refuses and persuades Chloe to go with him. Jack calms Oz’s screams before passing out again. Ann considers going after Chloe, and Mo releases Oz from his suspended position. Oz takes his dog, Bingo, to a corner and comforts him. Kyle then suggests they block the open windshield, and Ann agrees. Mo suggests they use game boards and sticks as a frame to pack snow around, and Kyle immediately gets to work.

Bob asks Oz for his gloves so he can help block the windshield with snow, but Oz refuses. Bob grabs Oz’s arm to take the gloves, so Oz bites him. Bob calls Oz an animal and limps away on his injured ankle. He goes outside and sees Kyle and Ann have removed Finn’s body, leaving it in a protected place next to the camper. Ann then undresses Finn and takes the extra clothing to Mo. Natalie finally realizes Finn is missing, and Karen says Natalie should get Finn’s boots. Ann ignores her friend and tells Mo to put on the boots.

Ann, Bob, and Kyle successfully block the windshield, protecting everyone from the storm. Finn thinks of Chloe in danger and instantly manifests beside her sister. Lost in the dark, Vance refuses to seek shelter. Chloe struggles to keep walking, indicating that she’s suffering from more than just a gash on her head.

It’s now eight o’clock. Karen tries to reassure everyone that someone will come looking for them, but Kyle says his roommates and girlfriend will assume he’s with the other. Mo says her mom isn’t expecting her to call. These statements dash their hopes of a quick rescue. Everyone sinks into silence while Jack remains unconscious. Finn watches everything, feeling helpless.

Finn returns to Chloe and Vance, who continue hiking through the snowy wilderness. They’ve been walking for six hours, the distance between them growing with each step. Chloe stumbles and falls; Vance turns, looks at her, and walks away for a few steps. When he realizes his mistake, he turns and sees that his footprints and Chloe have disappeared in the blizzard. Vance eventually gives up and returns to his original path, hoping to find help. Finn believes she must be in hell, forced to watch her family suffer with no way to help them. She prays for God to spare her friends and family. Chloe finally rises and moves to the base of a pine tree to rest.

Ann is in severe pain when dawn finally arrives, and Jack’s bruised and swollen face is unrecognizable. Kyle helps Bob, Oz, and Bingo climb through the camper door above them to go to the bathroom. Kyle then returns to help the women out of the camper. It’s still snowing, but its intensity has diminished. Outside the camper, Ann pulls Mo aside and says she’s going for help. Mo begins to cry, so Ann holds her gently. Finn becomes jealous, knowing her mother has never been so tender with her. Ann asks Mo to care for Jack and Oz, and Mo insists Ann take Finn’s boots. Kyle opens the door and says he’s going too. Together, he and Ann set out for help.

Mo and Oz return to the trailer, and Bob asks where Ann is. Mo explains and then crawls to the cab and pulls out Ann’s and Chloe’s purses. She finds tights, a book, and a lighter in Chloe’s bag. Mo sneaks everything into her pocket and then rummages through the cab. She also pockets the carrot Jack packed for a snowman. As Finn watches, she notices the dynamics of the group shift, placing Bob, Karen, and Natalie at odds with everyone else.

Kyle and Ann try to retrace where the camper fell over the ridge. Finn can see they’re getting close to the road. She admires Kyle’s determination and wonders who he is and how he ended up in Big Bear.

Fifteen hours after they left the cabin, Oz helps Mo climb out of the camper to find water. Mo pauses on top of the camper and puts on Chloe’s tights. She then takes two bites of the carrot, scoops some snow into the purse, and returns to the trailer. She uses the book and lighter to create a small fire and melts the snow in a sunglasses case. Mo pours the first round into Jack’s mouth. She serves Oz next and then Natalie. When Mo gives the next case full to Karen instead of drinking it herself, Finn becomes angry. As Karen tries to drink, Oz suddenly lunges to take the case. He hits Karen across the face and holds the case out to Mo, demanding more melted snow. Mo complies, and Karen snuggles into Bob, saying Oz will be the death of them.

Bob takes Oz and Bingo outside as a distraction, causing Oz to see Finn’s body. Only her face is exposed, so Oz kneels next to his sister, covers her face with snow, and tells her goodnight. Bob then suggests that someone needs to go looking for Ann. Oz nods and volunteers to go with Bingo. Finn silently begs Bob to stop, fearing what will happen to her brother. Bob then pulls two packages of crackers out of his pocket and trades them for Oz’s gloves. Finn stares in horror as her brother gives up his gloves and walks into the wilderness.

Finn sees her mother’s strength fading by early afternoon. Nonetheless, Ann and Kyle make a great team, progressing further than they would have on their own. Kyle ties a scarf to Ann’s wrist to help her climb the steep mountainside. Suddenly, he steps onto unstable ground and falls. Ann grabs a tree to stop their descent but lets go of Kyle when she fears she’ll go over with him. Kyle only slides a few feet and climbs over the edge to safety.

Oz walks in the wrong direction. After two hours, he realizes he’s lost and calls for his dad. Bingo lies down in exhaustion, so Oz rests next to him. Oz pulls out the crackers, feeding one package to Bingo and eating the other.

Sitting next to Jack, Mo worries that Oz isn’t coming back. Karen, Bob, and Natalie huddle together. Bob becomes agitated, feeling guilty about what he did to Oz and fearing that Mo has guessed his role in Oz’s disappearance. It’s afternoon, and they’re losing hope of being rescued before nightfall.

Ann and Kyle reach the road and continue walking. After 20 minutes, Ann sees her phone has reception. She calls for help. A sheriff’s deputy arrives, followed by numerous ambulances, patrol cars, and forest rangers. At the staging area, a paramedic examines Ann and Kyle’s injuries. Ann has mild frostbite and several broken ribs. Kyle’s left side is swollen and bruised, making Finn even more grateful for his heroic actions. Kyle decides to go to the hospital for a more thorough exam; he tells Ann he hopes everyone else is okay. Ann begins to cry, feeling guilty for letting Kyle fall, but he leaves before she can respond. Finn watches as Kyle enters another ambulance, wondering if she’ll ever see him again.

In the camper, Mo hears a consistent thump coming toward them. She sits up, straining to listen, and calls for help. Bob opens the door and sees a man descending from a helicopter. The man comes to the camper door and looks down into the cabin. When he reports that there are five people, someone says that there should be six and a dog. Bob tells him the sixth person took the dog to look for his mom. Minutes later, rescue workers put Jack on a gurney and hoist him into the air. The helicopter takes him to a nearby hospital, and a second helicopter arrives for everyone else.