Run for the Hills

Rube and Mad arrive at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Overwhelmed by the campus, they realize how flimsy their plan to find their half-sister, Pepper “Pep” Hill, is. Rube locates Pep’s schedule, dorm, and phone number—information he says came from the private detective. Realizing he must have had her contact information, too, Mad asks why he drove to Tennessee instead of calling her; Rube admits he wanted to assess her in person before inviting her along. After debating how best to approach Pep, the siblings decide to call her first.

On the phone, Rube introduces himself to Pep, who says she is leaving for Austin for the NCAA tournament. Mad takes the phone and explains that they believe they are half-siblings through their father, Charles Hill, who abandoned multiple families. Skeptical but curious, Pep agrees to meet them at the Lloyd Noble Center’s Legacy Court.

Mad and Rube meet up with Pep at the arena’s basketball museum. They confirm their relationship and compare their father’s different lives: a mystery writer with Rube’s family, a farmer with Mad’s, and a basketball coach with Pep’s. When Rube mentions that their father contacted their mothers after leaving, Pep becomes angry—he never contacted her or her mother, Cathy Permalee. The siblings then explain their plan to drive cross-country in search of Charles; Pep insists she won’t be joining them but agrees to let her siblings attend her game in Austin.

In Austin, Pep’s mother approaches Rube and Mad. Pep informed her of who he and Mad are and what they’ve revealed about her father. Cathy warns them about adding to Pep’s stress and forbids them to take her along on their trip. She goes on to admit that “Chip” (the name Charles went by when they were together) sporadically contacted her after their breakup, but she never told Pep; she forbids them to reveal the truth to her daughter.

Pep’s game starts disastrously. Star freshman Daedra London experiences a severe ankle injury, and Pep goes cold, missing all 13 shots in the first half as Oklahoma falls far behind. At halftime, Cathy tells Mad that while Chip was a good coach, he lied to her about playing basketball at Ohio State and was still married in Massachusetts when he was with her; she and Chip were never legally married. She asks them to deliver a message if they find him.

After halftime, Pep improves her game and sparks a comeback. Down two in the final seconds, Oklahoma gets one last chance. Pep heaves the ball from beyond half-court; it goes in, but officials rule it late. Oklahoma loses. Pep helps her devastated teammates and walks off.

As Rube and Mad drive away, Pep calls and asks to join their trip. They pick her up near the School of Nursing. At Dan’s Hamburgers, Pep admits she worried the night felt unreal, like a dream after a fatal accident, but food grounds her. She recalls her father as an innovative coach who won a state title before leaving; her mother’s “rehab” story proved a cover for his inexplicable disappearance. Pep agrees to join Mad and Rube’s westward mission but insists they prepare better for the next sibling, who is only a child.

The perspective shifts to Pep. As she settles into the group, she begins reflecting on her last conversation with Cathy before leaving, her father’s philosophies on life and basketball, and her decision to delay her final shot; she wonders if she did so intentionally because she unconsciously wanted to end her career and join her siblings’ search.

A home movie opens on a historical gallows with a sign urging visitors to keep off and respect it as an instrument of justice. An unseen woman comments on Arkansas’s execution history. The camera finds a young girl bouncing a basketball. The mother tells her the ghosts do not want to hear the noise, but the girl keeps practicing.

Inside a gymnasium, the girl makes shots while the unseen filmmaker cheers. After making a three-pointer, she smiles and holds up three fingers. At sunset after the game, she carries a large trophy through the parking lot.

Driving west, Mad reflects on her lack of travel experience compared to Rube and Pep. They agree to be more careful in contacting their next brother, Theron “Tom” Goudy, who is still a child.

A few days earlier in an Albuquerque hotel room, the siblings called Tom’s mother, Trista Goudy, a morning news anchor in Salt Lake City. A child answered before fetching his mother. Pep, flustered, gave a false name before explaining her connection to Trista’s son. Trista said she left their father and did not know about his other children. When Pep mentioned traveling with siblings, Trista grew wary but agreed to consider letting them meet Tom if he was willing. She revealed that their father’s name with her family was Carl Hill.

Back in the present, Mad and her siblings are driving through New Mexico late at night, when the PT Cruiser slides out of control across the median, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car. No one is hurt, but the front bumper is torn off. Rube blames mechanical failure; Mad and Pep suspect he fell asleep. A highway patrol officer arrives. Rube simply says they are siblings visiting their father, which unexpectedly steadies Mad. The officer says they were lucky.

Afterward, Pep considers abandoning the trip, and a heated argument erupts—about the crash, money, and why Rube will not let anyone else drive. Pep shouts that the wreck could have ended her professional prospects. Rube pleads with them not to quit, confessing he once fantasized about killing their father but that finding his siblings ended that impulse. He does not want to be lonely again. Moved, Mad and Pep agree to continue. They exchange “I love yous” and wait together under the stars for a tow.

The siblings secure a replacement car, a Chevrolet HHR that resembles the PT Cruiser. Mad, now on the rental agreement, takes the wheel as they resume their trip.

A home movie shows a young boy in a suit delivering a mock weather forecast in front of Utah weather graphics. He announces absurdly exaggerated temperatures for various cities and a comic five-day outlook featuring fantastical images. Wrapping up, he breaks character and tosses back to the anchor by name. The camera pans to a woman in a lavender pantsuit, clapping and smiling and then back to the laughing boy pointing at the lens.