A young woman by the name of Anna (Lenora May) is enduring multiple hardships. She is pregnant, and the father is presently not part of her life, primarily because of her dad's overzealous and misguided religious beliefs. His rage and controlling behavior stems from his wife leaving the marriage for another man. He believes the devil that was inside his wife is also part of Anna. She's done a good job of hiding her growing stomach from him, but she is about due to deliver and has to act fast. She pretends to go to the creek to fetch water and hides inside a makeshift shelter to give birth. In the meantime, a bad storm starts.
Anna returns to their home happy and relieved that her baby has been born. Things start to get a bit questionable here. It's unclear where she's getting all these bottles, or how she got the animal skins out of the house to cover the hole her baby was hidden in without her father noticing they were gone. He constantly keeps her under his thumb, yet these missing objects are overlooked? And the scene where the stick Laura throws into the creek that dislodges a bottle which "happens" to stop at the point she's halted at to look at a bullfrog is too convenient. Although Charles gives Laura the third degree for coming home late, she returns to the creek and receives a loch of Anna's hair and later a photograph. Armed with this new evidence, Laura is more determined then ever to find this mysterious friend. Another plot hole is present when Charles asks her point blank about why finding Anna is so important and she simply replies "I don't know". She must have some reason in mind, or else why would she disobey him and go through all this? Laura and Charles trek for miles along the creek. Anna is hiding in the woods and spots them. Her baby starts to cry and they find her hidden in a hole with another note. Laura bonds instantly with "Grace", her new name for the (apparently) abandoned child. They take the infant home and care for it. Charles visits Doc Baker and discovers a town on a map where Anna might be. After questioning a preacher/fire chief, he finds the child's father, who is still very much in love with Anna. He joins in the search. Anna leads a pretty isolated life far out in the middle of nowhere. After traveling for about a week they still have found no trace of her. But bad luck strikes when Anna's father accidentally sees them while going through the woods. He runs back and confronts Anna, accusing her of seeing the father this whole time, and going off about how the devil has brought upon this incident. In a rage he throws a lantern and the house catches on fire. He blocks Anna as she races to the front door, claiming that "sinners" must burn in the fires of hell. She pushes him off and he hits his head on the way down. As the flames rise, she drags his unconscious body out of the house, and the next day Charles and Anna's lost love find her. They leave, but Charles stay with her father.
When he comes to, he sees that Anna has gone and says that the devil has won. Charles urges him to leave the house, which has been burned to the ground, but he refuses. Charles returns home and Laura tearfully returns Grace to Anna in a scene that is so bittersweet that it would melt Ebenezer Scrooge's heart. With the exception of a few minor glitches, the entire cast puts in a great performance, especially Laura. And Lenore is a wonderfully complex actress who really brought her role in the show to life. It's a shame she didn't become a more permanent fixture on the show, like Albert Ingalls did over time.
Anna returns to their home happy and relieved that her baby has been born. Things start to get a bit questionable here. It's unclear where she's getting all these bottles, or how she got the animal skins out of the house to cover the hole her baby was hidden in without her father noticing they were gone. He constantly keeps her under his thumb, yet these missing objects are overlooked? And the scene where the stick Laura throws into the creek that dislodges a bottle which "happens" to stop at the point she's halted at to look at a bullfrog is too convenient. Although Charles gives Laura the third degree for coming home late, she returns to the creek and receives a loch of Anna's hair and later a photograph. Armed with this new evidence, Laura is more determined then ever to find this mysterious friend. Another plot hole is present when Charles asks her point blank about why finding Anna is so important and she simply replies "I don't know". She must have some reason in mind, or else why would she disobey him and go through all this? Laura and Charles trek for miles along the creek. Anna is hiding in the woods and spots them. Her baby starts to cry and they find her hidden in a hole with another note. Laura bonds instantly with "Grace", her new name for the (apparently) abandoned child. They take the infant home and care for it. Charles visits Doc Baker and discovers a town on a map where Anna might be. After questioning a preacher/fire chief, he finds the child's father, who is still very much in love with Anna. He joins in the search. Anna leads a pretty isolated life far out in the middle of nowhere. After traveling for about a week they still have found no trace of her. But bad luck strikes when Anna's father accidentally sees them while going through the woods. He runs back and confronts Anna, accusing her of seeing the father this whole time, and going off about how the devil has brought upon this incident. In a rage he throws a lantern and the house catches on fire. He blocks Anna as she races to the front door, claiming that "sinners" must burn in the fires of hell. She pushes him off and he hits his head on the way down. As the flames rise, she drags his unconscious body out of the house, and the next day Charles and Anna's lost love find her. They leave, but Charles stay with her father.
When he comes to, he sees that Anna has gone and says that the devil has won. Charles urges him to leave the house, which has been burned to the ground, but he refuses. Charles returns home and Laura tearfully returns Grace to Anna in a scene that is so bittersweet that it would melt Ebenezer Scrooge's heart. With the exception of a few minor glitches, the entire cast puts in a great performance, especially Laura. And Lenore is a wonderfully complex actress who really brought her role in the show to life. It's a shame she didn't become a more permanent fixture on the show, like Albert Ingalls did over time.