[1][2] Jennifer Colton (Tilly) is a divorced mother and architect who retains custody of her five-year-old daughter Mandy (Marta Woodward) while her ex-husband Walt (O'Keefe) is granted regular access for visitations.
However, Jennifer becomes concerned by her daughter's restless sleeping and increasingly violent behaviors and is horrified to discover that Walt might be sexually abusing her.
With the help of her cousin, attorney Howard Feldon (Begley), next-door neighbor and best friend Nora (Greene), as well as various doctors and therapists, Jennifer seeks to protect her daughter from Walt by having his access suspended.
Jennifer soon discovers that the law is not on her side when the court, in the absence of incontrovertible evidence, refuses to restrict Walt's unsupervised visitation rights.
When Jennifer refuses to let Walt see Mandy, the judge finds her in contempt and places her in a county jail until she relents.