In 1982 Calgary, the Murray family struggles with grief as they totter on the brink of financial ruin in the wake of Canada's disastrous National Energy Program. Returning home to help their dad pay down the mortgage after the death of their stepmother, sisters Frances and Bernadette find themselves continuously at odds. When Robyn, a long-lost friend, becomes their house guest, old tensions are enflamed and the Murrays risk becoming alienated from one another.

Part family saga, part queer coming-of-age story, The Western Alienation Merit Badge explores the complex dynamics of a small family, and a big country, on the verge of coming apart.