In 1913, five law enforcement officials climb into a car and drive to the town of Hopkinton, Iowa. Their goal: to exhume the body of a young woman. They soon run into resistance from the townspeople, who don't want the truth to get out.
A woman born in 1930 in a Kansas City home for unwed mothers is joined by her daughter in a search for the older woman's birth parents. Changes in state law allow them to finally make progress. They are led to a small Missouri town.
When Maude Stone discovers in 1905 that she is pregnant, she turns to her boyfriend to help her find an answer. Her boyfriend must ultimately tell the young woman's mother that Maude is dying as a result of their solution.