Character Relationship Map: Burn Your Maps

Characters

• Alise Firth (played by Vera Farmiga) — protagonist

  Alise Firth is Wes Firth's mother and Connor Firth's wife. During therapy, she explains Wes's isolation and resists treating his unusual interests as a simple problem. She is grieving the loss of a ch...

• Wes Firth (played by Jacob Tremblay) — supporting

  Wes Firth is the central child character, isolated from his peers and intensely fascinated by Mongolia. He builds imagined steppe scenes, dresses according to his idea of Mongolian life, and wants to...

• Ismail (played by Suraj Sharma) — supporting

  Ismail is a young filmmaker connected to Wes Firth's school who supports Wes's Mongolian dream rather than treating it as a problem. Without properly consulting Alise Firth and Connor Firth, he raises...

• Batbayar (played by Ramón Rodríguez) — supporting

  Batbayar is a guide whom Ismail and Wes Firth meet in Mongolia. He helps them navigate the country and explains that modern nomads may wear ordinary clothing, challenging Wes's romantic expectations....

• Connor Firth (played by Marton Csokas) — supporting

  Connor Firth is Wes Firth's father and Alise Firth's husband. In therapy, he worries that Wes is isolated and has no friends, while also insisting that his marriage with Alise must become close again...

• Becca Firth (played by Taylor Geare) — minor

  Becca Firth is Alise Firth and Connor Firth's daughter and Wes Firth's sister. During therapy, her parents discuss her acceptance into two programs at Northwestern, while worrying that the family may...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Alise Firth → Batbayar (Romantic Intimate Connection) — The plot depicts an intimate moment between Alise and Batbayar.

  Ismail films an intimate kiss involving Wes's mother and the guide, and Alise orders Ismail to leave afterward.

• Batbayar → Wes Firth (Professional Guide) — Batbayar guides Wes and provides factual context about Mongolia.

  Batbayar guides the travelers through Mongolia and explains that modern nomads often wear ordinary clothes.

• Alise Firth → Becca Firth (Family Mother) — Alise is Becca's mother and considers her educational future.

  Alise discusses Becca's acceptance into two Northwestern programs and the family's inability to afford either one.

• Connor Firth → Becca Firth (Family Father) — Connor is Becca's father.

  Connor participates in the family discussion about Becca's acceptance into two Northwestern programs and the cost of attending them.

• Alise Firth → Wes Firth (Family Mother) — Alise protects Wes while struggling to understand his imagined identity.

  Alise is alarmed by Wes's fixation on Mongolia and orders Ismail to leave before Wes wakes up.

• Connor Firth → Wes Firth (Family Father) — Connor is Wes's concerned father.

  Connor worries about his son Wes and later tries to make him return after learning that he is traveling through Mongolia.

• Alise Firth → Connor Firth (Family Spouse) — They are married partners coping with grief and marital distance.

  The plot identifies Alise and Connor as a married couple discussing their family and struggling with intimacy after the loss of a child.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ismail → Batbayar (Alliance Travel Partner) — Batbayar assists Ismail during the Mongolian journey.

  Ismail and Wes meet Batbayar in Mongolia, and Batbayar helps them navigate the country.

• Connor Firth → Ismail (Conflict Adversary) — Connor treats Ismail's plan as an unacceptable threat to parental authority.

  Connor joins Alise in accusing Ismail of arranging an overseas trip with Wes without parental permission.

• Alise Firth → Ismail (Conflict Adversary) — Alise opposes Ismail's unauthorized involvement with Wes.

  Alise and Connor accuse Ismail of arranging a trip with their child without permission, and Alise orders him to leave.

• Wes Firth → Ismail (Alliance Supporter) — Ismail validates and actively supports Wes's dream.

  Ismail encourages Wes's dream instead of treating it as a problem and plans a trip so Wes can see Mongolia.

Story Analysis

A grieving family is pulled apart when a child's imagined Mongolian identity becomes an unauthorized journey into reality.

Plot Progression

1. A Family Losing Balance — Connor and Alise discuss marital grief, Wes's isolation, and Becca's uncertain educational future. Wes's growing identification with Mongolia reveals a widening gap between his inner world and his fam...
2. The Dream Finds A Witness — Wes is mocked at school but remains committed to his Mongolian dream. Ismail encourages him, then turns his story into a film project and begins arranging a trip.
3. Parents Against The Journey — Alise and Connor discover that Ismail has planned an unauthorized trip with Wes. Their confrontation fails to prevent Ismail and Wes from traveling to Mongolia.
4. Mongolia Beyond Imagination — Batbayar guides Wes and Ismail through Mongolia and challenges Wes's idealized beliefs about modern nomads. The search for goats and the destination of Tolbo continues despite a sick goat.
5. Separation On The Road — Ismail films an intimate kiss involving Alise and Batbayar, prompting Alise to order him away. Wes then boards a truck toward Tolbo, leaving the family separated and the journey unresolved.