GENRE: Dark Drama / Coming-of-Age / Family Drama / Period Drama
——
LOGLINE: In the Summer of 1971, a teenager in rural Texas faces the reality of an unexpected pregnancy and the turmoil it brings to her family. After an exhaustive internal struggle, she fights to protect herself and her unborn child.
——
SYNOPSIS: In the sweltering Summer of 1971, sixteen-year-old HESTER FOGG has her life turned upside-down after recently discovering her unplanned pregnancy. Knowing that the news will bring insurmountable turmoil to her rural Texas family, Hester becomes increasingly aloof, causing her to clash with her parents, MARIBELLE and WINSTON FOGG.
After an exhaustive internal struggle, Hester finally decides to tell her parents about the pregnancy. Winston and Maribelle don’t take the news well, and aggressively scold their daughter for her irresponsible actions. In a cathartic burst of emotion, Winston slaps Hester, further elevating the problem. During the altercation, Hester’s seven-year-old sister, MAISIE FOGG, watches the chaos unfold, while remaining clueless to the nature of the issue.
As Winston and Maribelle desperately try to cope with the news, they struggle with how to handle the circumstance, drumming up their own marital problems in the interim. After reaching a decision, Winston and Maribelle demand that Hester get rid of the child. Hester vehemently opposes her parents wishes and attempts to run away, but Winston violently restrains her. Disgusted by her father’s behavior, Hester spits in his face, provoking Winston to assault her with his belt. Maisie tries to interject, but Winston’s rage leads him to injure her as well. The situation spirals out of control, and Winston locks Hester inside of her room.
Across town, HOLDEN BRADOCK, Hester’s boyfriend and father of her unborn child, is hanging out with his buddies CHASE KOHLER and LEE FAEGEN. The boys foolishly return to a house that they recently burnt down in an act of defiance. A neighbor spots them and calls the police to report their suspicious activity. The boys flee the scene, but Chase and Lee are quickly arrested by an officer named CURTIS MANCHESTER, while Holden manages to escape.
In the meantime, Winston withdrawals money for Hester’s abortion, leaving Maribelle at home with their daughters. As Hester and Maisie slowly recover from the insanity, Hester devises a tactical escape plan that will ultimately lead the girls to safety. With the plan in action, Hester fights her way past Maribelle, freeing herself from the confines of the house. The girls escape in the family car, making their way to Holden’s home to seek refuge from their parent’s wrath.
When Winston returns home to discover that his daughters have run off, he immediately goes to the Braddock residence to retrieve them. Holden’s father, CULLEN BRADOCK, attempts to defend the kids by threatening Winston with a handgun. A physical altercation quickly erupts, leaving Cullen unconscious. Winston obtains the gun and aims it at Holden, demanding that his daughters get in his truck. Suddenly, Curtis arrives to detain Holden for the arson, but he finds a more pressing situation transpiring in the front yard, leading to a dramatic conclusion.
