Abandoned by her birth mother, abused by her adoptive mother, and then rejected again by her birth mother, Joyce embarks on a 25-year quest to untangle the web of secrets and lies behind her relinquishment, failed relationships and recurring psychological traumas. Ultimately, she needs not just tenacity, but also subpoenas and DNA tests to break down the doors to her past. Before she’s finished, she recovers from alcoholism, redefines her understanding of love and family, and embraces the faith of her ancestors: Judaism.