Swamp Girl

Janeen helps park ranger Jim when his foot is caught in a poacher's trap. The act earns her Jim's trust and marks the beginning of their uneasy alliance. The swamp environment frames their growing connection as she learns to navigate danger beside him.

Nat, who will be known as Pa to Janeen, reveals his history with Doc, the doctor who ran the abortion clinic and arranged adoptions. He explains how he hid nearby, killed the two slavers with a hatchet, and escaped with Janeen into the swamp to protect her. The tale explains why Nat has kept Janeen close and why he fears the law.

Janeen shares with Pa the moment she met Ranger Jim, seeking help. Pa confirms Nat's role in protecting her and fills in details about their past. The conversation deepens the bond between Janeen and Nat and clarifies why they fear authorities.

Carol Martin and her boyfriend Steve reach the swamp cabin and kill Nat with the last bullet in their shotgun. Janeen hears the gunshot, returns to the cabin, and is forced to watch as Carol and Steve take her away. The act shatters her safety and sets her on a perilous flight.

Hearing the gunshots, Janeen is captured by Carol and Steve who force her to lead them out of the swamp. She endures their control while watching Jim's searchers in the distance. Her insider knowledge of the swamp becomes her only tool for survival.

Jim returns to Waycross, where Sheriff Ben informs him that Carol's boyfriend helped her escape from a women's prison farm and that a guard was fatally shot. The news prompts Jim to mount a response with Ben and others. The investigation shifts toward the swamp where Janeen is being forced through by the fugitives.

Carol's parents Gifford and Ella arrive in the area with plans to help their daughter, hiring rough locals Denton Cole, Hank, and Jesse as guides. Their presence escalates the pursuit and complicates Jim and Ben's efforts. The swamp becomes a pressure-filled battlefield of loyalties and survival.

Upon learning the Martins' plans, Jim and Ben take to the swamp in an airboat to track Carol and Janeen's whereabouts. They coordinate with Denton Cole to monitor the fugitives and gather allies for a possible rescue. The airboat ride adds urgency to the escalating chase.

Inside the swamp, Janeen uses her insider knowledge to steer Carol and Steve toward danger. Her anger over Nat's murder fuels a dangerous turn as they stumble toward a quicksand pit. Steve is dragged under, and Carol panics, stumbling into alligator-infested waters.

Carol's father, Gifford Martin, opens fire, aiming at Janeen as Jim and Ben close in. A chaotic chase leads to a shootout with Ben; Gifford is wounded and falls into a nest of venomous snakes. The escape attempt collapses as the Martins' plans unravel.

Janeen, shaken but alive, is taken aboard the airboat along with Jim, Ben, and the others. They haul Martin's body back to his wife, a grim end to the pursuit. Janeen's survival story continues as she becomes part of the group heading back through the swamp.

Ella mourns her daughter's fate and reveals that Janeen is her own daughter, born from the doctor's illicit circle. She urges Janeen to come live with her, offering a place in civilization. Janeen answers, 'I'm going home,' choosing to return to the swamp, leaving open the possibility of someday joining society.