- A Woman whose granddaughter's been placed for adoption leaves clues to her birth family's identity via seal documents the child has access to when she reaches legal age - meanwhile, she goes about her life fulfilling hr own dreams.
- In the United States, pregnancy out of wedlock used to carry a social stigma. Between 1945 and 1985 over four and one-half million unwed pregnant young girls/women, as an alternative to being shunned, publicly ridiculed, and forced to be homeless, lived in secrecy, some against their will, at "rescue homes" in exchange for releasing their babies for adoption. Letters to Stephanie is about a baby girl named Stephanie that was saved from abortion and born under these circumstances. Social Services, let her paternal grandmother write a letter without any identifying information in it for her adoption file. Stephanie would be permitted to see her file at age 21. Hoping to see Stephanie again, Anna put clues in her letter. At age 30 Stephanie obtained her adoption file, followed her grandmother's clues and found her grandmother.—Jo-Ann Wilhelm
- A woman prevents her son's daughter from being aborted. The pregnant young woman and her mother want the baby, but her father threatens to disown her if she keeps it. Neither the birth father nor his mother have any legal rights to his daughter. The baby is named Stephanie. Social Services will permit the birth parents and the birth grandmother to write letters without identifiable information for Stephanie's adoption file. She will be permitted to have a copy of her file after she's twenty-one. The grandmother puts clues to the birth family's identity in her letter, hoping the clues will one day lead Stephanie to her. A couple, who were unable to conceive a baby for ten years, are chosen to adopt Stephanie and change her name. The woman and her son both move forward. He marries and has four more children. She gives up a lucrative career, to face her fears and follow her dream of being a model. A dream that a rapist stole from her in childhood. Over the years, she and her son never speak of Stephanie. But separately, they share the same running prayer, "that one day by some miracle they will see Stephanie again."—Jo-Ann Wilhelm
- Anna Weber's daughter dies. Her son, Ian, who is engaged to be married, tells her his former girlfriend is pregnant. Anna prevents Ian's child from being aborted. Tara, the pregnant young woman and her mother want the baby, but her father threatens to disown her if she keeps it. She's made to live in secrecy at a home for unwed mothers in exchange for giving her baby up for adoption. Ian's brother Martin offers to marry Tara, in name only, so that she can keep her baby. She declines, because she has a boyfriend who will marry her if she gives her baby up for adoption. Tara invites Anna to visit her baby before she's placed for adoption. Neither Ian nor Anna have any legal rights to the baby who is named Stephanie. Social Services permits them and the birth mother to write letters without identifiable information for the baby's adoption file. Stephanie will be permitted to have a copy of her file after she's twenty-one. Hoping for a miracle reunion, Anna puts clues to the birth family's identity in her letter. Social Services destroys most of her letter.
Stephanie is adopted by a wonderful couple, Claire and Mike Porter, who have been unable to conceive for ten years. They change her name to Sadie Leigh. Ian marries and has four other children. Years later, he takes his family on a boat named SADIE LEIGH, not knowing it was named after his daughter Stephanie. Ian's wife's cousin who bought the boat is a friend with Claire and Mike Porter. When Ian's children are in their teens, he tells them separately about their half-sister Stephanie. As Anna moves forward in her life, she places birthday wishes in the newspaper saying "Happy Birthday to my granddaughter born June 21, 1983 and placed for adoption. I LOVE YOU wherever you are, Grandma". She keeps the birthday wishes and Stephanie's first photos in a mini- photo album. Years later, she writes another letter with updated clues for Stephanie's file, but Social Services destroys it. Social Services won't allow grandparents to sign the state's Adoption Reunion Registry. Anna has the law changed.
Anna has flashbacks of being raped in her youth. She must face her fears if she's to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a model. As a survivor, she gives up a teaching career and travels alone as a successful model. When Sadie's a teenager, Claire, enrolls her at the same agency where Anna's registered. Suzanne, the agency owner, becomes close personal friends with Anna and Sadie, who are in close proximity to each other at social gatherings. Anna and Sadie's photos hang side by side on the agency's 'Wall of Fame'. When driving home from school, Sadie gets hit by a train. She credits her guardian angel for sparing her life. For her twenty-first birthday, Claire gives her a partial adoption file containing letters written by her birth parents. She tells Stephanie, that she can now gain the complete file if she wants to.
Eight years later, Sadie obtains her complete file. With the help of eager co-workers at the law firm where she's employed, she follows clues in what's left of Anna's first letter and finds her. When Anna tells Martin that Sadie has found her. Martin finds out that Sadie's father , Mike Porter, has been his friend and golf buddy for years. At their reunion, Anna gives Sadie the mini-photo album containing the birthday wishes to show her that she was always loved and never forgotten. Anna connects her to Ian who excitedly connects her to Tara who is ecstatic upon meeting Stephanie.
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