I Am Elizabeth Smart

On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart is kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home by Brian David Mitchell, a religious fanatic. The abduction occurs in the middle of the night and wakes Elizabeth's sister Mary Katherine. Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee take Elizabeth to a hilly encampment where they begin a pattern of ritual control.

In the encampment, Mitchell forces Elizabeth to change clothes and conducts a ceremony in which they are 'married'. That night he rapes her, binding her to his control. He treats her as his 'second wife' and subjects her to ongoing rituals that erode her sense of self. Elizabeth begins to understand she is trapped.

Elizabeth learns that she had previously met Mitchell when he worked for her family as a handyman. He manipulates her with threats against her family and with hunger and drugs to keep her compliant. The captivity tightens as he asserts control over every aspect of her life.

During another ritual, Mitchell strips Elizabeth and forces her to choose a 'new name' from the Bible, which she selects as Esther. He continues to forbid her from speaking about her family and to obey his every instruction. The ritual control reinforces the idea that she belongs to him.

Mitchell uses deprivation to intimidate Elizabeth; she drinks alcohol to cope with the stress. He allows her to discuss her cousin Olivia, but forbids other topics. He leaves to pursue Olivia and returns claiming a 'vision from God' prevented the abduction.

Two months into the captivity, Mitchell plots to move Elizabeth and Barzee out of Salt Lake City, possibly to Boston or New York. They bring Elizabeth to the Salt Lake City Public Library to research relocation patterns. A patron notices their unusual robes, and a detective confronts them; Mitchell claims Elizabeth is his daughter and blocks communication from speaking.

The trio relocates to San Diego County. In Lakeside, Elizabeth and Barzee are left without water for a week during Mitchell's absence, and a freak rainstorm unexpectedly saves their lives. When Mitchell returns, he tells them he had been arrested for breaking into a church and decides they must relocate again. Elizabeth begins to advocate returning to Utah.

They move back to Utah and hitchhike to Sandy, wearing full robes to avoid recognition. Elizabeth angers Mitchell by talking to a stranger, signaling a shift in the risk of their exposure. The summary notes that this would be the last time Mitchell rapes her. The group remains unsettled as their itinerary shifts between states.

In a store, Elizabeth spots missing persons posters on a bulletin board, reminding her of her own plight. Mitchell dismisses the posters and insists that everyone has forgotten her. When confronted by police, Elizabeth hesitates but ultimately reveals her identity, which results in Mitchell and Barzee's arrest.

Elizabeth is reunited with her father Ed and mother Lois after the arrest. In the night that follows, Lois tells Elizabeth that the rest of the family is having a slumber party, and Elizabeth says she will sleep in her own room, marking a sense of normalcy returning. The immediate aftermath centers on family recovery.

In her final narration, Elizabeth explains that she is speaking for kidnapping victims, including those not found yet. She declares strength and resilience, ending with the line, 'I am not cracked, I’m not shattered, I am Elizabeth Smart.'

Brian David Mitchell is sentenced to life in federal prison, and Wanda Barzee receives 15 years. Elizabeth goes on to marry, have children, and start the Elizabeth Smart Foundation with her father to help others affected by abduction.