- A woman struggles with guilt after fleeing from the scene of an accident.
- In this suspenseful thriller, Joanna Kendall must choose between right and wrong when she accidentally hits a young girl with her car. After leaving to call for help, she returns - only to hear the reaction of horrified onlookers, who are outraged that the culprit left the scene of the crime. In a moment of panic and confusion, Joanna makes the life-changing decision to remain silent. The effect snowballs, as this perfect wife and mother must grapple with her guilt, as well as with the female detective who suspects her.—DANIEL
- Joanna Kendall is a wife and mother in an upscale community. Now that her two daughters are in school, she has decided to return to the workforce. A friend helps her secure an interview, which Joanna prepares for by dyeing her hair. The Kendalls are hosting a dinner that night and Joanna's husband Doug keeps thinking of things that need to be done. Joanna takes her daughters to school and calls out to a little girl, Kelly Cory, that she has dropped a book. The child picks it up and thanks her.
During lunch with her friend, Joanna drinks wine. Afterward, during a heavy rain, she drives down a deserted road to a plant nursery. Suddenly a child on a bicycle darts in front of her. Joanna tries to stop but her car strikes the bicycle. The child, Kelly Cory, is unconscious when Joanna reaches her. After frantically calling out for help, Joanna returns to her car and drives to a nearby pay phone. She calls 911 but does not identify herself, ending the call with "I've got to get back."
When she returns to the scene, police officers and the paramedics are there. Before she can get out of the car, an officer orders her to move on. Joanna tries to explain that she was the one who hit the child, but somehow the words won't leave her mouth. She reluctantly drives away.
Back home, she tries to tell Doug what happened but people keep getting in the way. The children interrupt them and then Joanna's mother shows up to help with the dinner preparations. The story is on the late afternoon news. Kelly is in serious condition at a local hospital.
Doug is very complimentary after the dinner. He thinks Joanna's nervousness is caused by the upcoming interview and reminds her that she can turn the job down if she wants. It doesn't matter to him if she works or stays home. Joanna wants to tell him but by now is too afraid.
The days pass and Kelly remains in a coma. Her parents go on TV in a public plea to help identify the driver. Due to the heavy rain, any tire tracks were washed out. Everyone is asking what kind of awful person would do such a thing. The PTA at the school call a meeting which is attended by two police officers. One of them is Detective Rico. A father reveals information that was not released by the police. A footprint of a size seven and a half shoe was found at the scene. A police investigation reveals that it is a popular athletic shoe. The officers are annoyed that this information has leaked out. It will be hard to trace the print as so many women, including several of the moms, own this shoe. The moms offer to go door-to-door and try to gather information about where people were at the time of the accident.
Joanna hides her shoes in a box of children's toys in the garage. Just as she is lighting a cigarette, Doug appears. He has noticed her nervous and jumpy behavior and is disgusted that she has started smoking again.
At the job interview, Joanna makes a very bad impression. Her friend does not understand why Joanna seemed to deliberately blow the interview. Joanna wants so badly to confide in someone but by now realizes it is too late. The unknown driver who hit Kelly and then left her is hated all over town. Then Joanna learns that shoes leave a distinct impression due to the tread and weight of the person wearing them. Like fingerprints, there are no two alike. In the middle of the night, she gets up and files the bottoms of her shoes with a nail file.
The PTA moms are visiting Kelly's parents at the hospital to offer support. Joanna stops at the gift shop for flowers and is accosted by Detective Rico. Unknown to her, the detective has repeatedly listened to the 911 tape and is struck by Joanna's last words, "I have to get back." Clearly nervous, Joanna repeats the words "I have to get back" and Detective Rico knows she has found the driver.
The Corys hold a candlelight vigil for Kelly. Mrs. Cory asks that whoever hit Kelly come forward. Meanwhile, Joanna begins making nightly visits to the crime scene. Then the shoes Joanna has hidden away vanish. She is hysterical when Doug tells her that the girls cleaned out the garage and donated their old toys to a charity. Then one of her daughters reveals that she put Joanna's shoes back in the closet. Doug is mystified by Joanna's behavior.
While vacuuming her living room, Joanna finds an earring under a sofa cushion. She recognizes it as one belonging to her friend. An idea forms in her head. That night she once more goes to the crime scene and drops the earring nearby. Then she retrieves it, feeling disgusted with herself for trying to implicate her friend. This time when she returns home, Doug is waiting for her. He accuses her of having an affair, which she denies.
Meanwhile, Kelly suddenly comes out of her coma. She recognizes her parents and several of the PTA moms, including Joanna. She remembers talking to Joanna at the school on the day of the accident.
Detective Rico and the other officers are now certain that Joanna Kendall is the driver. They want to pick her up, but Rico says not yet. She wants Joanna to come forward on her own. A surveillance is put on Joanna and the cops track her visits to the crime scene. Rico sees her in town and talks to her about how terrible the driver must be feeling and how much better it would be if she confessed.
Joanna's friend has become very suspicious and eventually figures out that Joanna is the driver. But instead of confronting Joanna or calling the police, she tells Kelly's parents. Mrs. Cory sets out for the Kendall home, saying she must be the one to speak to Joanna first.
The younger Kendall daughter is having a birthday She is very disappointed to receive a stuffed dog instead of a real one. Her parents try to console her. When she and her sister go outside to play, Joanna abruptly confesses to Doug that she was the driver. He is shocked and asks why she didn't tell him. She explains that she tried but then everyone started asking what kind of person would do that. She is that person. Instead of being supportive, Doug turns on his wife, asking her what other secrets she hasn't told him. He says he thought he knew her. Just then the children come in with a puppy. They beg to keep it, but Doug recognizes it as belonging to a neighbor. He and the children leave to take it back just as Mrs. Cory arrives. All she wants is to know why. Joanna makes no attempt to explain, only to say she is sorry. Later she is shown arriving at Detective Rico's office. Rico says she has been waiting for her.
Months have passed and the Kendalls are either divorced or separated. Joanna is living alone in a crummy inner-city apartment. Detective Rico pays her a visit. Joanna lost her driver's license for a year but will get it back soon. She works part-time in a bookstore. Rico asks if Doug has made it hard for her to see the girls. He hasn't but Joanna can't face them. With Rico's encouragement, Joanna goes to the girls' school and waits for them. The PTA moms whisper hatefully that she has some nerve coming back. The girls are at first hesitant, but then run to their mother and embrace her.
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