The Babysitter

Dr. Jeff Benedict and his wife Liz move from Chicago to Seattle with their 12-year-old daughter Tara, seeking a quieter life. The family settles into a new routine and begins to adapt to city living. Jeff works to keep the family cohesive while Liz adjusts to the change.

Liz meets Joanna Redwine and hires her as a live-in nanny to help with Tara and housekeeping. She makes the decision unilaterally, hoping to alleviate stress. Joanna moves into the Benedict home, unseen by Jeff at first.

Joanna starts her nanny duties, weaning Tara off excessive TV viewing and organizing outdoor activities. Tara is pushed to be more active and engaged, changing the family routine. The new regimen sets Joanna apart from the prior caregiver.

Doc Lindquist overhears Joanna tell Scotty at a party that she once lived in Seattle before working for the Benedicts, a claim that doesn’t fit later details. He begins a quiet background check, uneasy about the inconsistencies. His worries grow as he pieces together a troubling pattern in her past.

Liz confides in Joanna about her fears of infidelity, and Joanna subtly suggests that having a drink isn’t harmful. Liz, who has been sober for a year, finds herself drawn back into drinking. The household atmosphere grows tenser as her sobriety slips away.

During a party, Liz’s suspicions collide with Joanna’s manipulation as Jeff leaves Liz at Doc's house for the evening. Joanna waits in the master bedroom and makes a pass at Jeff, who struggles to resist but ends up involved in a liaison. The incident seeds a deeper betrayal within the household.

Doc returns to verify Joanna’s past and goes to the Department of Social Services for records. A clerk initially refuses access because Joanna is now an adult, but a quick peek at the file yields clues. Doc begins tracing possible addresses tied to her history.

Doc visits the home of Mrs. Welford, who fostered Joanna, posing as Joanna’s doctor. Mrs. Welford warns him to stay away and implies serious consequences if he pursues Joanna. She also reveals a dark claim that Joanna killed her baby.

Doc shares his findings with Liz and Jeff, who reject the implications as gossip and distrust police involvement. Jeff apologizes for his actions and agrees to try to salvage the family. He invites the Benedicts on a boat outing on Sunday to reconnect.

As the investigation lingers, Joanna becomes more manipulative and neglects her duties around the house. She grows hostile toward Tara and stops maintaining the household, letting the environment deteriorate. Liz’s continued bedrest heightens the tension in the home.

On a family sail, Joanna releases the jib boom, striking Scotty in the head and knocking him unconscious into the water. Tara pleads for Joanna to help, but Joanna sails away from the drowning boy. Doc pushes for a police investigation, but there is insufficient evidence to classify the incident as murder.

Liz remains bedridden as Jeff succumbs to Joanna’s manipulation and affair. The next day Joanna serves Tara and Jeff raw beef tongue for dinner and later appears in Liz’s negligee to kiss Jeff. Jeff fires Joanna and vows to take her to Seattle the next morning with money.

Doc locates Joanna’s latest address and finds three bodies wrapped in plastic in the master bedroom. Joanna attempts to seize Tara, but Jeff wakes and fights back as Doc arrives with the police. Joanna is finally stopped and escorted away in handcuffs, ending her manipulation over the family.

Tara offers Joanna her doll as the police take her away, a poignant, hopeful moment for the child. The Benedict family begins to heal in the aftermath, with the threat Joanna posed now behind them and a path toward rebuilding normal life ahead.