Diane Sherman becomes a mother under tense, fragile conditions, bringing a premature baby into the world and watching over a fragile life in the early days of the hospital. Years later, she has built a quiet, careful life in Pasco, Washington with her now-teenage daughter, Chloe. Chloe is a determined and resourceful young woman who faces a cluster of serious health challenges, including arrhythmia, hemochromatosis, asthma, diabetes, and paralysis in her legs. She moves through the world in a wheelchair, relies on a steady regimen of medications, and is homeschooled by Diane. Despite everything, Chloe dreams of going to college and carving out a future, a hope that Diane endorses even as she struggles to navigate unanswered college applications and the quiet mysteries of their household.
One ordinary morning, Chloe discovers a bottle of green pills in a grocery bag that bears Diane’s name on the label—but a careful inspection reveals a label pasted over the original. The pill’s name, Trigoxin, puzzles her as she learns—through a phone call to a stranger—that the drug is a heart medication, yet its appearance and the name on the bottle raise questions. The house lacks internet access, so Chloe cannot verify the drug herself, and the mystery nags at her as she tries to understand her mother’s actions and history. The next day, in a crowded theater lobby, Chloe risks a quick research mission of her own, slipping away to a nearby pharmacy. The pharmacist there reveals that the green pills are actually Ridocaine, a relaxant once approved only for dogs; if consumed by a human, the drug could cause paralysis in the legs. The shock of this revelation sends Chloe into a crisis, and Diane arrives to restore control, sedating her to pull her back into the expected routine.
A tense pattern unfolds as Chloe wakes up to find her bedroom door locked from the outside. Determined to break free, she drags herself onto the roof, squeezes through Diane’s bedroom window with a soldering iron, and endures an asthma attack while she fights to access her inhaler. Her automated wheelchair ramp has been sabotaged by Diane’s cut power cord, forcing Chloe to abandon the chair and crawl down the stairs, where she discovers a new, unsettling physical possibility—she can move a toe, indicating that Ridocaine has not taken effect in the way she was led to fear. A chance encounter with a mail carrier named Tom becomes a pivotal moment: Chloe explains her predicament, Tom offers help, and Diane suddenly reappears in the scene, ambushing Tom and dragging him away. Chloe’s plea to contact the police goes unanswered as Diane subdues Tom, and Chloe is left alone in a world where every escape feels perilous.
The basement of the house becomes a chilling repository of truth. Chloe uncovers childhood photographs that show her walking, a death certificate for another girl named Chloe who died shortly after birth, and a newspaper article about a couple who suffered a baby-napping from the same hospital. College acceptance letters—hidden and forgotten—reveal the cold truth behind the years of care and secrecy. When Diane confronts her, Chloe demands honesty, accusing her mother of poisoning and deception. Diane insists that every action has been to protect and help her daughter, but the revelation of a homemade neurotoxin—and the claim that it could erase memories—pushes Chloe toward a desperate flight. She ingests a potent organophosphate, and the crisis forces a rapid medical intervention as she is rushed to the hospital.
In the hospital, Chloe’s body is fragile and strained, and the medical team refuses discharge until a mental health evaluation is completed after what is treated as a suicide attempt. A nurse provides Chloe with a basic way to communicate—a crayon and paper—and as she tries to write, a code blue erupts. Diane slips into the room, armed with a handgun, and binds Chloe to a wheelchair in an escape attempt. Security closes in as Chloe crafts a last-ditch note, the message “MOM,” and uses it to signal for help. The chase culminates near a staircase, where Chloe’s determination to stay ahead of her mother leads to a tense standoff. A guard fires, wounding Diane in the arm and sending her sprawling down the stairs, while Chloe clings to the moment of control she has seized.
Seven years pass, and Chloe’s life has evolved into one defined by resilience and independence. She still uses a wheelchair for longer distances, but she can walk short stretches with a cane. Her life includes a husband, Ara, a daughter named Annie, and a successful career as a prosthetist, a profession that reflects her understanding of bodies and how they can be made whole. She hints at a bridged past—an eventual reunion with her birth parents—while reflecting on the life she has built, one that is grounded in autonomy, love, and the quiet triumph of carving out a future on her own terms. In a final, provocative gesture, Chloe quietly pockets three Ridocaine pills and quietly instructs Diane to “open wide,” a stark reminder that the cycle may not be truly finished, even as she stands on the threshold of a new chapter that blends forgiveness with hard-won strength.
