- Adopted teenager Sara goes in search of her birth mother Abby, only to find the woman in prison for bank robbery and manslaughter. In an upcoming parole hearing, Sara helps Abby win release, and decides to spend the summer with her before leaving for college. But Sara soon finds herself in danger as her mother returns to her former partner in crime, Carl. When Carl ends up dead, both Abby and Sara will be wanted for murder - hunted by the police and the dead man's cohorts.—Reel One Pictures
- Sara Caskie's adoptive mother Rebecca throws her an 18th birthday party, despite Sara's having said she did not want one. She is barely polite to the guests. A for sale sign is displayed in the Caskies' front yard. Rebecca's husband Jason is being transferred back east and Sara will attend college there in the fall. Her grrandparents left her some money to cover expenses.
While packing, Sara finds a large envelope filled with letters addressed to her. They are from her birth mother, Abby Miller, who is serving time in the state prison. The letters have been opened but were never given to Sara. She reads them and discovers that Abby has wanted to see her for years. Sara angrily confronts her adoptive parents, who warn her against having anything to do with Abby.
Sara does not take this advice and immediately writes a letter to Abby, explaining that the letters were never given to her. She includes her telephone number, not realizing that prisoners must call collect. A short time later she is startled to receive a collect call from Abby. She accepts the charges and they talk. Abby is delighted to hear from her and invites her to visit the prison. Sara's friend Corinne drives her up, somewhat reluctantly. She, like Rebecca and Jason, feels that Sara is making a big mistake.
Abby reveals that she gave birth to Sara when she was sixteen and gave her up for adoption six months later. Sara's birth father left and Abby couldn't cope with a baby. She thought the best thing to do was give Sara to a mother and father who could take care of her. All these years she has wanted to give Sara a birthday party. Since she is soon up for parole, she invites Sara to visit her.
When Abby is released, her boyfriend Carl picks her up. He has been living in her cabin all this time and considers it his. He is furious when Abby uses his phone to call Sara, who overhears a fight and Abby getting hit. But Abby swears to Sara that she is fine.
Not wanting to tell Rebecca and Jason where she is going, Sara lies and says she is spending a few days with Corinne. They have no choice but to let her go, since she is eighteen. Sara does not know the exact location of the cabin, which is about a two-hour drive, but she knows the name of the town. They ask at a diner and the waitress, after learning that Sara is Abby's daughter, gives them the address.
Abby is surprised to see Sara, since they hadn't agreed on a definite date for the visit. On learning that Sara has brought her suitcase, Abby invites her to stay for a while. Corinne refuses to come inside and assures Sara she will cover for her in case her parents call.
Carl is very threatening and tells Sara he is a bad man. His business associate Dax drops by, driving what is obviously a stolen car, and wants his money. Carl swears he doesn't have it. Dax behaves in a leering, scary way toward Sara. After they leave, Carl tells Abby he wants Sara gone. Abby counters by reminding him that it is her cabin not his. She asks for money for party supplies but Carl insists he is broke.
By now Sara is wishing she hadn't come. She asks Abby about the reason she was sent to prison. Abby swears she was set up and she is innocent.
Rebecca and Jason try to call Sara but it goes to voice mail. Meanwhile Abby starts telling Sara how much she needs her. Sara types a resume for Abby and they go into town. But as Abby points out, no one is hiring felons. They buy the party supplies with Sara's money and return to the cabin.
Carl has invited his low-life friends over. Liquor is everywhere and Dax offers Sara a beer. Abby goes to confront Carl and finds him flirting with another woman. He become violent when Abby orders him to get rid of his friends. He threatens her, after which she orders everyone to leave. They do so, reluctantly, leaving a furious Carl. He attacks Abby in the bedroom. Earlier she found his gun and now tries to use it on him but he knocks it out of her hand. Sara hears the commotion and runs in to help Abby but Carl knocks her to one side. As he starts to choke Abby, Sara hits him over the head with a lamp. It shatters and he falls to the floor but is still conscious. Abby grabs the fireplace poker she had hidden under the bed earlier and hits him with it. He tries to grab it and gets his hand cut. The women run outside and Carl follows, leaving a trail of blood. Several drops fall on the yellow outdoor welcome mat.
Abby and Sara get into Carl's SUV, intent on escape. But Carl blocks their path as they try to drive away. Abby deliberately runs him down. Sara screams at her to stop it. Although Carl is injured, he manages to get up. Abby runs him down again and this time he dies.
Sara is horrified at what has happened and says they have to call the police. But Abby knows she will go back to prison, this time for life, and refuses to allow it. Acting on her instructions, Sara helps her wrap Carl's body in a tarp. They take it to a nearby deserted area. Carl's body is propped behind the wheel and, leaving the engine running, Abby pushes the car off a cliff. She says the police will assume he was drunk and ran off the road.
Now Sara really wants to leave. But Abby begs her to stay, pointing out that she has no one to turn to. She insists that they get their stories straight in case they are questioned by the police. The story Abby comes up with is that Carl left right after the party, angry and drunk, and they haven't seen or heard from him. She mops up the blood in the house and buries the cleaning cloths.
That night Sara texts Corinne that she is scared and needs a ride home. But Corinne says she can't come to get her for a couple of days. Sara considers calling her parents but decides against it. Despite everything that has happened, she doesn't want Abby to be sent back to prison.
After Sara is asleep, Abby comes into her room and takes her cell phone. She reads the messages Sara sent to Corinne. The next morning, the phone won't work. Again Sara wants to go home and Abby talks her out of it.
Dax and his friend Ramon come by looking for Carl. He owes Dax money. Abby tells them the agreed-on story but they don't believe her. After a fruitless search for the money, Dax says they are taking Sara as a hostage until Carl pays what he owes. Abby pulls Carl's gun on them and they leave, but not before threatening the women.
After Sara is asleep, Abby makes yet another search for the money and this time finds it. She takes the bag outside and hides it in the woodpile.
Carl's body inside his wrecked SUV is discovered the next day. The sheriff wonders what Carl was doing in such a deserted area. He pays a call on Abby to break the news and she pretends to be grieved. She and Sara tell their agreed-on story, which the sheriff seems to accept. But he tells them they will have to come to the police station and make official statements. As he leaves, he notices the drops of blood on the welcome mat.
Dax is shown talking to his boss on the phone about the missing money. Nervously Dax swears he will get it one way or another.
Abby and Sara go to the police station and are questioned separately. Abby begs Sara to stick to their story because she loves and needs her. Reluctantly Sara agrees. The sheriff suspects Carl was murdered and asks Sara what a nice girl like her is doing mixed up with these people. Sara won't betray Abby and they are free to go, although the sheriff warns them not to leave town. They spot Dax at the station. Abby gave the police his name. He threatens her and tells her she'll be sorry for trying to get him in trouble.
Meanwhile, Sara's parents pay a call on Corinne and get the truth from her. She texts them Abby's address and they set off to find Sara.
The police come to the cabin with a search warrant. It's a close call but they don't find the money. Abby denies any involvement in Carl's death but the autopsy shows he was murdered. After they leave, Rebecca and Jason arrive. Abby does not welcome them, saying Sara wants to stay with her, but Sara decides to leave. Abby cries and refuses to let go of Sara's suitcase. Rebecca pries it from her and tells her never to contact their daughter again. On the way home they question Sara, especially about the crime-scene tape they spotted. Sara tells them Abby's boyfriend was killed and they were questioned by the police. Rebecca and Jason are horrified but Sara won't tell them anything else.
The police return to the cabin, this time with a warrant for Abby's arrest. She breaks free and runs toward the woodpile but doesn't have time to retrieve the money. She dashes off into the woods and hitches a ride. Meanwhile the sheriff finds the money.
A detective comes to the Caskie home with the news that Abby is now a fugitive from justice. He hands Sara his business card with instructions to call him at once if Abby makes contact with her. That night, Sara is alone in the kitchen when Abby comes to the door. She begs Sara for money and a place to stay. Against her better judgement, Sara takes several hundred dollars from Rebecca's wallet. She tells Abby to get a room at the nearby motel and she will bring her food in the morning.
That night Sara and Rebecca talk. Sara is so sorry she hurt her parents and Rebecca tells her she must always do what is right, even when the outcome is unpleasant. Then Sara telephones the detective and asks exactly what Abby was charged with when she was originally arrested. She participated in a jewelry store robbery where several people were seriously injured and she also ran over a guard during the escape. Sara realized Abby was lying to her all along, when she claimed to be the victim of a set-up.
Dax and Ramon return to the now-deserted cabin and once more search for the money. Ramon finds a letter from Sara with her return address. Ramon decides they will go to the Caskie home and get the truth from Sara. The next morning, they follow her to the motel where Abby is staying.
Sara confronts Abby with the truth and this time Abby admits she was lying. But it was only because she wanted Sara to love her and stay with her. She wanted another chance to be a mother. But now she is on the run for her life and if she is going down, she is determined to take Sara with her.
As Sara is leaving, Dax and Ramon stop her. They force her back into the room and Dax pulls a gun on Abby. This time he will kill her if she doesn't produce the money. She says the police probably found it by now. Then she blurts out that Sara has money in the form of an inheritance from her grandparents. Sara admits to this and Dax tells her they are all going to the bank. He and Sara will go inside and get the money while Ramon and Abby wait in the car. Sara finally sees Abby for what she really is, someone who would betray her. As they leave the motel room, the police descend on them. It is not clear whether Sara phoned them earlier or whether they managed to track Abby down.
All three Caskies and their lawyer are at the police station. The D.A. might be willing to offer a plea deal if Sara agrees to turn state's witness. The lawyer tries to stall but Sara says she will testify. As they are leaving, they see Abby being led away in handcuffs. She and Sara stare at each other as if they are strangers. Then Abby is put into a cell.
Some weeks later, the Caskie home is sold and they are doing some last-minute packing. Sara finds the envelope with Abby's letters and throws it into the trash. Rebecca asks if she is sure she wants to do that, since the letters are all she has of her mother. Sara is sure and adds that Rebecca is her mother. They embrace.
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