Between sisters

On an ordinary afternoon, eight-year-old Lela is surprised to see her older sister Jolene waiting for her after school. Jolene arrives in the car of her boyfriend, Glenn, while the other children look on. Soon the three of them are speeding across the desert, and Lela keeps asking why they never stopped to let their mother know where they were headed. Jolene makes it clear that Lela will not be going back home.

Jolene is determined to shield Lela from their father, who sexually abuses them, but her plan comes too late. When he learns what she intends, he kills their mother. The family is torn apart, and Lela loses the innocence of her early years. She is taken in by a caring adoptive family and locks away her memories of the life she left behind, including her final memory of Jolene. In a courtroom, she makes a promise that one day she will return for her sister.