| Director | Janet Grillo |
|---|
Jeanne is awakened by crying from her autistic teenage daughter Mandy. Mandy is suffering an anxiety attack, as she has almost every night for months. Jeanne instructs her daughter to "use her strategies". Jeanne calms her by singing "Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home."
The next morning, Jeanne struggles to get Mandy to school. Jeanne receives a phone call from her freelance business partner, Sue. They are under pressure to complete a project for a major client. Jeanne is interrupted by the school reporting Mandy with another fit. Principal Liz Howell suggests Mandy should go to a different school.
Desperate for help, Jeanne calls Mandy's father, Peter, asking if he could take Mandy for the weekend. He makes his usual excuses, and Jeanne turns around and sees Mandy with her laptop deleting her work. The next day, Peter surprises them by showing up, and sweeping Mandy off to the park. Jeanne is enjoying a rare moment of peace when Peter calls, in great distress. Mandy's had another fit, attacking yet another child on the playground. Jeanne rushes to the rescue, and takes control of the situation.
The next day, Jeanne takes Mandy out for ice cream to console her after school. Mandy disturbs the ice cream parlor. A day later, Jeanne walks her dog and meets a charming neighbor, Tom. The school calls to report Mandy having another fit, and Jeanne rushes away from Tom. Mandy is suspended for a week. While attending to Mandy's round-the-clock needs, Jeanne's work is affected. Sue ends the partnership.
The next day, Jeanne and Mandy see Tom at the dog park. Tom is charmed by Mandy's eccentricity, and they go out for pizza. Later, Tom and Jeanne start to grow closer, but Jeanne pulls away from him.
Mandy is expelled from school, leaving Jeanne few options. Mandy cheers her mother by singing "fly away home". Jeanne and Peter discuss putting Mandy into a residential facility. Anguished at losing contact with Mandy, Jeanne sees an airplane flying freely and thinks of Mandy becoming independent.