Never Take Sweets from a Stranger

The British Carter family relocates to a small Canadian town after Peter is appointed school principal. They settle into a close-knit community that quickly begins to scrutinize them as outsiders. The move sets the stage for the conflicts that follow.

Jean reveals to her parents that she and Lucille visited an elderly man's house in the woods and were asked to strip and dance naked in exchange for sweets. They complied, and Jean believes they did nothing wrong. The revelation shocks the Carters and motivates them to pursue the matter legally.

The Carters decide to file a complaint against Clarence Olderberry Sr., a prominent town figure. The move inflames the town against the newcomers as rumor and suspicion spread.

The police chief questions Jean's account, casting doubt on its credibility. The investigation becomes entangled in fear and gossip as the community takes sides.

Olderberry's son warns the Carters that pursuing legal action will ruin Jean's credibility in court. He implies the town will stand with his father and that justice may be biased against the Carters.

The case goes to trial amid hostility toward the Carters, with a jury that seems biased in Olderberry's favor. The proceedings feel more like a public confrontation than a fair hearing.

The defense counsel questions Jean in a harrowing, bullying manner, leaving her frightened and appearing unreliable. The courtroom atmosphere compounds her anxiety as memories are challenged.

Olderberry Sr. is acquitted as the jury's prejudice prevails. The Carters' pursuit of justice ends in disappointment and isolation.

With no future left in the town, the Carters resolve to move away and start anew elsewhere. The decision underscores the community's failure to protect them.

In the woods again, Olderberry approaches Jean and Lucille, offering them sweets and grabbing Jean's bicycle. The girls flee toward a lake, dropping Lucille's shopping bag, and attempt to escape by a moored boat. Olderberry begins to pull the boat back in, threatening their escape.

Jean's bicycle is found and delivered to the police, triggering a full search for the missing girls. The police learn that Olderberry Sr. is missing; Peter and Olderberry Jr. accompany the search party. Lucille's shopping bag is located, and Olderberry Jr. is caught trying to hide his father's hat.

SAR dogs lead investigators to a cabin where Lucille lies dead and Olderberry Sr. is found inside, disheveled and with an insane expression. Olderberry Jr. realizes, perhaps too late, that the girls were telling the truth. Jean remains missing at this point.

Jean is found wandering unharmed on the far side of the lake, as the town learns of Lucille's fate and Olderberry Jr. breaks down and admits that his father killed Lucille. The crowd listens in silence as the truth finally comes to light.

Police take Olderberry Jr. away, and the gathered crowd disperses as the town confronts the tragedy and the consequences for its legacy. The Carters begin the long process of healing after the town's failures.