Tarnation begins in 2003 as Caouette learns of his mother’s lithium overdose in his native Texas. Faced with the haunting remnants of his past, including a family legacy of mental illness, abuse, and neglect, Caouette returns home to aid in his mother’s recovery. Slipping back into the archives of his youth, we watch Caouette grow up on camera, seeking escape from family trauma. Having relocated to New York in his twenties and subsequently attaining peace, Caouette discovers that family ties are never truly unbound. He rekindle a touching relationship with another victim of a tumultuous childhood – his own mother Renee.
