JUDAH WOODBINE is a modern day Job. Throughout life he has shown strength and resilience in dealing with personal tragedy. When he accidently kills his wife, ROSE, he suffers the ultimate loss. His soul mate is dead. Judah doubts his ability to rebuild his life. The catastrophe reopens wounds caused by a childhood filled with emotional trauma and the struggles associated with the then unknown syndrome, PTSD.
While Rose’s death is being investigated, Judah revisits the horrors of his past. Immersed in these memories, his redemption begins.
At the age of eight, Judah is thrust into the arms of strangers by his MOTHER. He experiences separation and arduous therapy as a victim of polio. When he returns home two years later, he thrives on the farm and works side by side with his FATHER. But Judah finds his Mother a changed woman and is subjected to her chilling alienation. Fearing someone who is different, children his own age bully and torment him. Even his teacher plays on his insecurities.
Judah struggles to gain acceptance and find friendship in a world very different from the one he left. He establishes a complex relationship with PASTORIA HALE. Judah perceives the girl is damaged, but he can’t find a physical sign of affliction. When she leaves their farm community for a better life, Judah feels abandoned again. Unable to reconcile with his Mother and without Pastoria, Judah leaves the farm for college.
Distanced from the past, Judah matures and finds joy in the mundane rites of passage: work, marriage, family, divorce. A single phone call notifies him of a car crash involving his only child and undermines everything he has achieved. Judah feels powerless to help his son and faces the most difficult decision of his life. In the process, he identifies the sources of his insecurities and self-doubt. He also meets Rose.
His marriage to Rose instills Judah with confidence. He faces his Mother and uncovers the reason for her estrangement. The effect of Rose’s love transcends her death. Judah goes back to the farm and becomes reacquainted with Pastoria. In this setting, he surprises himself with a newfound ability to set boundaries and navigate a relationship without disappearing
By exploring his past, Judah finds redemption. He affirms his inner strength and frees himself of guilt. His evolving confidence prepares him to face the next phase of his life alone and empowers him to move in a new direction.