When law enforcement knocks on the door of the middle-class Ohio family Mark and Gail Ritchey in 2019, it seems to come out of nowhere, but Gail has been fearing this day since 1993. The dead body of a newborn, found locally all those years ago, has
been linked to Gail through DNA testing of a relative, testing that was not available at the time. In 1993, the two were not yet married,
Mark and Gail had been a couple for seven years before they wed.
The delay was due to Mark’s wish to own a home before the wedding. No one, not Mark or Gail’s parents, knew she was pregnant. In truth Gail herself was not aware until labor started.
She delivered alone, she says the infant was stillborn and in a panic disposed of the body in the woods.
The effect of the news is devastating for the Ritcheys and their adult children. They are no longer welcome in the strict Christian church that they had devoted their lives to. They manage to find a more forgiving church to attend, and the couple wants and
needs this element in their lives.
The upcoming trial and the little-known science of “unperceived pregnancies” is discussed. An unperceived pregnancy is a rare but real occurrence, and Gail’s attorney puts his hope in this defense. How this all ends will either depress or please you. Director Jessica
Earnshaw’s capable hands (previous film Jacinta) give you fair and sympathetic coverage of the lives of this family. At 100 minutes, the film unfolds steadily towards its inevitable conclusion.