Gem & Dixie

Gem has grown up without anyone steady to lean on. Her mother struggles to keep food on the table, and her father drifts in and out, his rare visits harder to bear than his long absences. The one constant has been her sister Dixie, and Gem has spent years looking after her when no adult would.

The sisters have drifted apart as they have gotten older, though each still counts on the other. Then their father comes home for the first time in years and tries to work his way back into the family. His return gives Gem a chance she did not expect: three days alone with Dixie in Seattle and beyond.

What starts as a short trip with her sister turns into something larger. Gem comes to see that protecting herself may cost her the relationship she has worked hardest to hold onto.

This is a contemporary family drama told through Gem's eyes, centered on a sibling bond under strain and on the pull between loyalty and self-preservation. The three-day span keeps the story compact, and the emotional stakes are close and personal rather than loud.