Andrew, a five-year-old boy, is kidnapped by his father when he is sent off for his weekend visitation visit. His mother Gail and the authorities search for Andrew, but to no avail. Five years later, Gail has settled down to a new life with her new husband, Eddie, and their baby, but she has never given up looking for Andrew. One day, her ex-husband calls to tell her that Andrew will be waiting for her at a bus station. At the family reunion it soon becomes clear that Andrew, now a ten-year-old has been badly abused.
Andrew has been neglected to the point where he can barely communicate. A battery of psychological tests show that while Andrew is of average to high intelligence, he cannot read nor write and his social skills are nonexistent. Gail reluctantly agrees to follow the advice of a pyschologist and school administrator who tell her that she should put Andrew back in school so that he can be socialized again. Andrew's progress in school is very slow and his disruptive behavior begins to tear Gail's new family apart. After Andrew inadvertently starts a fire in the house, Eddie tells Gail he wants a trial separation. In fear of their safety, Eddie takes their baby and moves out. Fighting to regain the son she once knew, Gail takes Andrew out of school and takes his rehabilitation into her own hands and they begin the slow road to recovery.
