Paris, Texas 1984

The film begins with expansive visuals of the desolate Texas desert, showcasing a man wandering through the unforgiving terrain. This man stumbles into a dilapidated bar and collapses from exhaustion. The next day, a doctor treating the mute traveler contacts his family, specifically his brother Walt, suggesting he come to collect his ailing sibling. As Walt sets out from Los Angeles to fetch Travis, the wanderer silently continues his aimless trek across the barren landscape. Eventually, Walt locates Travis in South Texas and informs his brother about their journey back to Southern California. Despite Travis’s silence, Walt reflects on how he hasn’t heard from Travis in four long years.

Their journey begins at a motel, although Travis once again vanishes when left alone. Walt manages to track him down not far from the motel, ultimately persuading him to return to the car. At a diner, Walt presses Travis with questions about his long disappearance and the son, Hunter, he left behind when he was just three years old. This revelation visibly strikes a chord with Travis, as he sheds tears, yet remains unable to articulate a response. The next day’s trip continues, with Travis finally breaking his silence to reveal a faded photograph of a vacant lot bearing a “For Sale” sign. He tells Walt he has bought this property in Paris, Texas — a location he holds significance, believing it to be where he was conceived.

Despite Walt’s curiosity about his brother’s new endeavor, he insists that they must return to bring Travis to Hunter. When they arrive, Travis meets Walt’s wife, who has taken care of Hunter during Travis’s absence. The meeting with Hunter is strained; the boy is understandably timid around the unfamiliar man. To ease the tension, Walt decides to show old home movies that capture heartwarming moments between Travis, Hunter as a baby, and their mother, Jane. That evening, Travis engages in household chores, restless and confused about his role in the home.

The next day, Travis attempts to walk Hunter home from school, only for the boy to shrink away and hop into a friend’s car. Later, Hunter expresses to Walt’s wife his reluctance to walk home with Travis, but she encourages him to give his father a chance. Travis persists, and eventually, he and Hunter begin walking home together in a growing, silent companionship. As they grow closer, Walt’s wife discreetly informs Travis of Jane’s ongoing presence in Hunter’s life, revealing that she deposits money for him monthly in a bank in Houston, Texas.

Determined to reconnect with Jane, Travis shares his plan with Hunter, who expresses a desire to join his father on the journey. The following day, without notifying Walt or his wife, the duo sets out for Texas. Once they’ve distanced themselves enough, Hunter calls home to inform his caregivers about their departure, leaving Walt and his wife devastated but understanding they couldn’t hold onto the boy indefinitely. The journey reinforces the bond between Travis and Hunter, filled with shared experiences, school lessons, and tender moments as they travel together.

They eventually arrive at the bank in Houston on the scheduled deposit day and split up, armed with walkie-talkies, to spot Jane’s car. When Hunter finally identifies her vehicle, Travis enters a nearby establishment that turns out to be a peep-show parlor. Shocked, he requests to see a blonde, hoping it might be Jane. His encounter with Jane is filled with silent confusion, culminating in his inability to speak. After returning to the car with an angry yet vague explanation, Travis’s frustrations surface at a bar where he drinks, growing irritable as Hunter expresses his dislike for this new side of his father.

The following day, Travis drops Hunter off at a hotel, instructing him to wait while he takes another trip to see Jane. In a room designed for observational intimacy, Travis recounts the story of a “man” and a “girl” who fell in love, had a child, and faced a turbulent relationship. As the tale unfolds, the realization dawns on Jane as she recognizes the truth of their past. Tears stream down her face as Travis reveals that Hunter is waiting for her in a hotel room. In an emotional climax, Jane agrees to reunite with her son, leading to the poignant final scene of her entering the hotel room and embracing Hunter, solidifying the familial connection that had eluded them for years.