Liza Tillerman Anna Louise Richardson abandons her four children—Dicey Tillerman Kimberlee Peterson (13), James Tillerman Trever O'Brien (10), Maybeth Tillerman Hanna Hall (9), and Sammy Tillerman William Greenblatt (6)—on a sweltering night in Pewauket, Connecticut, leaving them in a crowded mall parking lot with little more than a change of clothes, a map, and nine dollars. What follows is a long, arduous trek toward safety and family, with Dicey taking on a protective role as she tries to shield her younger siblings from the uncertainty that surrounds them. The kids press on toward Bridgeport, hoping to reach their known relative, Aunt Cilla, and to find shelter, guidance, and a way to stay together.
Upon reaching Aunt Cilla’s door, they confront a painful truth. Eunice Logan [Bonnie Bedelia], their cousin, reveals that Aunt Cilla has died, and she consults Father Joseph [Roger Dunn], the local priest, who says the children may stay for a short while but only temporarily. Eunice also shares information about Abigail Tillerman [Anne Bancroft], their paternal grandmother, who lives far away in Crisfield, Maryland. The family’s finances become tangled in the news: the police had sent a small payment to the children after their mother’s car was sold, but Eunice seizes the money for herself. She then tells Dicey that she intends to keep Dicey and Maybeth, while James and Sammy would be placed with other families. Faced with the sting of potential separation, Dicey refuses to accept such a fate and makes a bold decision: she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her siblings together, even if it means leaving Aunt Cilla behind.
With a stubborn resolve, Dicey leads her brothers and sister toward a new destination—Abigail Tillerman’s house in Crisfield. They purchase bus tickets and set out, a long journey that still feels uncertain. But the path is not straightforward. When they arrive in Crisfield, they discover that Abigail lives in a remote area, far from town, with no phone and little means of contact. This isolation complicates their hopes of starting anew, and Dicey decides to travel alone to Abigail’s farm to assess the situation and determine if the family can realistically stay together. She leaves James in charge of Maybeth and Sammy as she ventures onward, a choice that underscores her sense of responsibility and courage despite being so young.
At Abigail’s farm, Dicey’s arrival is met with a chilly reception. Disguised and hesitant, she asks if there’s anything she can do to help, hoping to earn a place for her siblings. Abigail Tillerman’s initial demeanor is blunt and testing, as she challenges Dicey with questions about death and other heavy topics in a way that could feel hostile. But the moment reveals something else: Abigail recognizes the girl before her and, while wary, she pauses the harsher instincts that have guarded her for years. The revelation that Eunice had written to warn Abigail about the children adds another layer to the tense exchange. For a time, Abigail refuses to let the children stay, and Dicey responds with quiet resolve and honest insistence that she won’t abandon her siblings. The mood shifts, and there’s a barely contained warmth as Abigail softens, enough to take the four children on a small boat ride to fetch the others, though Dicey worries when Sammy is found to be the only one present.
In the days that follow, the siblings help around the farm, learning routines, chores, and the rhythms of a life outside the city. Abigail’s walls begin to soften as she and the children share meals, chores, and moments of shared laughter. Yet the possibility of staying still feels distant for Abigail. She makes a difficult, practical decision: she cannot permanently keep the children due to age, savings, and the fear of repeating past mistakes. A letter from Eunice arrives, revealing that Liza has been located and has suffered a severe mental breakdown. Liza is admitted to a mental hospital and diagnosed with catatonia, with doctors wary about any foreseeable recovery. This news weighs heavily on Abigail, who now faces the burden of deciding what to do next for Dicey, James, Maybeth, and Sammy.
As the weeks unfold, Abigail tells the children that she cannot guarantee a permanent home for them. The prospect of sending them back toward Bridgeport looms large, and the family feels the pull of separation once more. For a moment, it seems the cycle might repeat itself: returning to the road, torn between love and practicality, between the desire to stay together and the realities that threaten to pull them apart. Yet in a final, quiet turn of heart, Abigail undergoes a shift. She revisits her responsibilities and the tenderness she has begun to feel for this makeshift family. In the end, she decides that she will keep the children, embracing the risks and rewarding potential of their shared future. The quartet transfers back to the boat they had been using and heads home, a new, fragile sense of family binding them together at last.
What unfolds is a story of resilience, loyalty, and the enduring bonds of family under strain. It is told with a clear, measured voice that refuses melodrama, instead presenting the children’s journey with honesty and care. The film invites viewers to consider what it means to protect one another in the face of hardship, to weigh the costs of responsibility against the fear of loss, and to witness how compassion can gradually soften even the most guarded hearts. The dynamic between the siblings—Dicey’s quiet leadership, James’s steadiness, Maybeth’s innocence, and Sammy’s vulnerability—drives the narrative forward, while Abigail’s guarded warmth and Eunice’s well-intentioned meddling illuminate the complexities of care across generations. The story remains faithful to its core message: when a family sticks together, even imperfect love and hard choices can eventually create a home.
