Cast:
Amber Tambyln --- Sarah Russell
Jennifer Ehle --- Lorraine Morrisey
Henry Czerny --- Howard Morrisey
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio --- Gayle Russell
Tim DeKay --- Tim Russell
Daniel Clark --- Daniel Russell
Paul Wesley --- Evan Carroll
The movie opens with Sarah Russell learning she has been diagnosed with leukemia. Her doctor tells her to contact a doctor that specializes in leukemia treatment. He advises Sarah to book an appointment soon, before she becomes too sick. Sarah immediately calls her parents and tells them she's coming home to give them some important news. As Sarah's driving on the highway, she sees ambulances and police cars at the scene of a car accident. She sees people being loaded into ambulances and she stares at a woman in a stretcher -- thinking this could be herself in a few years. Sarah loses control of her car as she skids down the guardrail of the highway.
As Sarah arrives in her hometown she runs into her old high school boyfriend, Evan Carroll. Evan lives in Dallas, Texas but he's been in town for a couple months to care for his sick father. Meanwhile, he's working as a mechanic at a gas station. When Evan notices Sarah's car he offers to fix it for her. Evan uses this offer as a token of friendship to get closer to Sarah because he wants to rekindle what they had 6 years ago. After many failed attempts at dating, Evan can only ever think about Sarah.
Sarah's parents are thrilled that their daughter is coming home after 6 years because they feel their daughter is a stranger. She rarely comes home or contacts anyone from her hometown because she doesn't want to revive an incident that happened 6 years ago -- a dreadful event that caused Sarah to leave her hometown immediately after graduation.
Across the street lives Lorraine Morrisey and her family who were shattered by Sarah's irresponsibility. Mrs. Morrisey seems to avoid Sarah. But she's very curious about Sarah because she she constantly spies on her. 6 years ago, Sarah affected the Morrisey family and her actions crushed Mrs. Morrisey. Sarah questions her mother on whether she believes in karma and if karma is real. Secretly Sarah thinks that she's been diagnosed with leukemia as punishment for what she's done to Mrs. Morrisey. Sarah decides not to take treatment and ignore her doctor because she feels she doesn't deserve to live -- Sarah's actions took the life of someone else and Sarah punishes herself by thinking she deserves the same fate.
This movie is a heartfelt 'chic flick' mystery. The audience learns about the disastrous event that occurred 6 years ago as Mrs. Morrisey and Sarah have visions about the past. By reconnecting with the friends and family she abandoned, Sarah learns about forgiveness, love and life. Though Sarah blames the incident on herself, her family tells her it was an accident; she couldn't be in two places at once. But the movie doesn't only revolve around Sarah. Mrs. Morrisey is also one of the leads as she comes to terms with Sarah and learns to put the past behind her.
Since this film is a made-for-TV movie produced by Hallmark, there are no reviews from critics. But here are a few of the comments from imdb.com users:
"Need a tissue box with this film"
"A melancholy but ultimately uplifting portrayal"
"Somewhat depressing but still a quality production"
"The Russell Girl is an endearing film"
"Superb Writing, Superb Performances"
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