Brief

A successful woman’s life goes off the rails when, after an accident, she is over medicated by her psychiatrist and betrayed by her husband.

What We Liked

- Based on a true story;
- Strong female lead;
- The personal nature of the story is compelling;
- The subject matter is topical and relatable. It shows the triumph of the human spirit and illustrates a road to redemption for those who try;
- It could be a conversation starter for the need for better mental health care in the US;
- This seems quite suited to be an additional story within a series or perhaps a sort of documentary cautionary tale presented by the author in an unscripted setting;
- Character overcoming adversity;
- Happy ending.

Synopsis

Audrey is a successful businesswoman living on her horse ranch in Texas with her husband JB. After she is rear-ended in a traffic accident, she suffers terrible injuries to her neck. She takes medication for the pain, but she is still affected by it. She begins to drift into a depression as a result. She begins seeing a psychiatrist called Dr. Walden, who continues to prescribe more medication to Audrey, and she can hardly function. Her company can no longer float her with her continued absences, so she is let go from her coveted job and forced to live on disability checks.

Soon Audrey’s dad, his wife Bonnie and Audrey’s close friends begin treating her differently. They think that she is addict and their relationships deteriorate. Her doctors even begin to treat her differently. When she speaks with everyone about this sudden change in their behavior towards her, she learns that JB has been filling their heads with stories of her crazy behavior and addiction to medication. He has even gotten to her doctors and they are listening to him over her own accounts of her health. Audrey starts to feel hopeless and alone. She attempts to take her own life with an overdose of anti-anxiety medication, but she is brought back from the brink in the nick of time. She soon discovers that JB is having an affair with his ex-girlfriend Christy. He lies to Audrey about it at first, but it soon becomes clear that it has been going on a long time and right under Audrey’s nose. JB pretends to want to work things out with Audrey, but in reality he is moving on with his life with Christy and promptly files for divorce from Audrey. Things quickly become contentious.

Since all her friends are turning against her, Audrey decides to confront them. She arrives at what she thinks is a Superbowl party at her friend Laney’s house, she discovers that it is an ambush. She is baited into an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on an ex-police officer at the gathering. Nearly out of her mind, Audrey discovers that her beloved dogs, Annie and Gunther, are being poisoned. She suspects JB is at fault. The officer arresting her for aggravated assault against a police officer, feels compassion for Audrey when he sees the love she has for her sick dogs. He helps her get them help with animal control before taking her to jail.

As Audrey withdraws from all the prescription drugs in her system, she begins to have seizures. The police think that she is faking and she ends up in solitary confinement. When she is released from solitary some of the other inmates recognize that she is really sick and help get her transferred to a hospital. Potentially facing a twenty year prison sentence for the assault, Audrey ends up in the maximum security wing of a psychiatric hospital. While attending group therapy sessions and getting her health back, Audrey starts to feel more like herself again. She is sustained by her faith and her perception that God is sending his angels in the form of other lost souls to assist her in her journey.

JB tries his best to take everything from Audrey in the divorce. He even goes so far as to sign and have Laney sign affidavits saying that she was plotting to kill him. It seems like a hopeless situation for Audrey. Along with her lawyers and new doctors, Audrey finds support in her friend Kathy, who was not contaminated by JB’s agenda. Though Audrey ultimately loses almost everything in the divorce, and her ranch is in foreclosure, she is grateful that her animals survived. She returns to the ranch and with the support of Kathy and her neighbor, Al, she cares for her animals and vows to pull herself back together. With the help of a friend, Audrey gets a contract job that pays very well. Through sheer hard work and grit, Audrey is able to pull the ranch out of foreclosure and slowly get her life back together. To complete her full recovery, Audrey makes amends with her father just before his death. Now on the right track herself, she is happy to see her father finally at peace.

About The Author

Eileen Stewart has been a technical professional for almost thirty years, but the greater part of her life has been her passion for horses. Due to a car accident, she had to endure several spinal surgeries and accompanying pain and depression.