The Way of the Psychonaut explores the life and work of Stanislav Grof, Czech-born psychiatrist and psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer. Stan’s quest for knowledge and insights into the healing power of non-ordinary states of consciousness, influenced the discipline of psychology and profoundly changed many individual lives. One of those transformed by Stan is filmmaker Susan Hess Logeais. The documentary utilizes Susan’s personal existential crisis as a gateway to Grof’s impact, from the micro to the macro.

Dawn is ready to finish her senior year of high school when her neglectful, party-loving mother is tragically killed, forcing Dawn to go to live with her aunt Jamie who co-pastors a church with her husband, Willem. Unfortunately, not long into her stay things go terribly wrong, and Dawn runs away. When Dawn's Aunt Jamie realizes her home was not the safe-haven she thought it was, she embarks on a courageous search for Dawn. Dawn, having no foreknowledge of the streets, is easy prey for a two-bit street hustler, falling for his well-rehearsed flattery. She is lured into a life she could never have imagined for herself. Jamie learns of her predicament and becomes more determined than ever to rescue her, despite Dawn's desire to distance herself. Anxiously Jamie befriends a street minister, and the two of them set out together to find Dawn. However, in her search for Dawn, Jamie realizes it is not only Dawn who needs rescuing.