Mother and Child

Karen becomes pregnant at 14, and her mother decides she should give the baby up for adoption. This decision haunts Karen for years, shaping her ability to form close connections. The event sets the emotional tone for the rest of her life.

At work, Karen encounters Paco, a laid-back co-worker who gradually thaws her guarded demeanor. Their initial hostility gives way to warmth, trust, and eventually marriage. The pairing marks a new chapter in Karen's ongoing struggle with attachment.

Paco encourages Karen to express her hopes and regrets in a letter to the daughter she never raised. She leaves the letter with the Catholic adoption agency, hoping it will reach her future child. The letter is left unaddressed and the filing don’t get properly handled.

Karen's daughter Elizabeth grows into a solitary, willful adult who becomes a skilled attorney at a prestigious firm. She begins an affair with Paul, a man tied to her professional world, complicating her personal life. The relationship adds tension to the family dynamic.

Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant even after having her tubes tied, shaking the foundations of her carefully constructed life. She quits her demanding job and moves to a new apartment and a new position, trying to manage the unexpected turn. The pregnancy challenges her control and independence.

Paul visits Elizabeth and proposes that he leave his current relationship to become a proper couple. Elizabeth declines the offer, but he convinces her to leave a letter for her biological mother with the adoption agency. The exchange deepens the thread of unresolved connections in the family.

Lucy and her husband Joseph contact the same adoption agency, hoping to start a family. They meet a young pregnant woman who agrees to give them her baby after a lengthy, careful interview process. The couple believes they are on the verge of becoming parents.

Shortly before the birth, Joseph confesses that he wants to have his own biological child and the couple decides to part ways. Lucy resolves to proceed with the adoption on her own, determined to become a mother. The relationship strains under the weight of divergent dreams.

The birth mother Lucy hoped to work with changes her mind shortly after giving birth, dashing Lucy's hopes for that baby. She feels a deep sense of loss and disappointment as the chance slips away. The heartbreak underscores Lucy's intense desire to be a mother.

Elizabeth dies while delivering her own child, and with no one stepping forward, the agency offers the newborn to Lucy. Lucy adopts the baby and begins the demanding journey of motherhood. The family story takes a new, unexpected turn.

A year passes before Karen learns of Elizabeth's death and a misplaced letter meant for her daughter. The discovery reveals a granddaughter named Ella and prompts renewed attention to the long-dormant adoption thread. Karen's emotions mix grief with a glimmer of hope.

The agency arranges a meeting between Karen and her granddaughter Ella, who lives nearby with Lucy. Karen confronts a flood of past feelings but also begins to connect with the family she thought she had lost. The moment marks a new, tentative step toward reconciliation.