The film tells the story of Ivy (played by Hartman Black), a landscaper who leaves her long-time boyfriend to be with the mysterious Johnny (Wahl).

Billed as being "inspired by an actual case history", Ayres got the idea for the story from an account of a woman who had purportedly described a past unsolved murder while under hypnosis.

Reviewers generally found the plot absurd and the acting mediocre, with some criticizing the film as contrived and poorly-executed, and others giving it credit for originality and imaginative storytelling.

Ivy realizes Johnny has stolen her money and steals his expensive car in return, driving to Buffalo to investigate her past life as Grace.

The creative team also included cinematographer Eric Van Haren Noman, editor Pam Malouf-Cundy, and composer Michael Hoenig.

[5] Billed as being "inspired by an actual case history",[5][1][6] Ayres got the idea for the story from an account of a Southern woman who had purportedly described a past murder while under hypnosis.

According to Ayres, he looked into the details of said account and found that they matched those of an unsolved 1927 death of a woman named Grace Doze in Buffalo, New York.

[7] Hartman Black was drawn to the project because she felt it was different from the typical "true story" television fare, noting that it features flashbacks and aspects of mysticism.

[15] Variety's Tony Scott panned the film as lacking suspense and intrigue, which he attributed to the absurd plot, the unsubtle performances of the lead actors, and the director's failure to create tension.

[16] Meanwhile, Hartford Courant's Jon Burlingame found the film formulaic,[17] and New York's John Leonard did not understand why Hartman Black's character was even attracted to Wahl's in the first place.

[2] The Los Angeles Times' Ray Loynd agreed that by combining the past and present to create a shroud of mystery, Search for Grace was an imaginative departure from the typical television fare.