| Director | Richard Eyre |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, film based on a novel |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Box office | $17.7 million |
Fiona Maye is a judge in the Family Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. A case is brought before her involving a 17-year-old boy, Adam Henry, who is suffering from leukaemia. Adam's doctors want to perform a blood transfusion, as that will allow them to use more drugs to cure him. However, Adam and his parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, and believe that having a blood transfusion is against biblical principles.
Fiona goes to the hospital to see Adam. The two talk, with Fiona attempting to determine what it is that he really wants, and whether he has been persuaded by his parents. When she asks Adam whether he is aware refusing the blood transfusion could, rather than kill him, render him disabled, Adam answers yes, and he would hate it but accept the cost.
Fiona asks Adam to play a song for her. He starts to play Yeats' "Down by the Salley Gardens", which Fiona then sings. Adam is very drawn to her, and begs her not to leave. Fiona nevertheless does, and returns to court. She rules that, as a matter of law as laid out in the introduction of the Children Act 1989, Adam's welfare is the "paramount consideration" and declares that the medical treatment, including blood transfusion, may proceed despite the absence of Adam's consent and that of his parents.
Meanwhile, Fiona's marriage is failing. Her husband, Jack, informs her that he is planning to have an affair with a colleague half his age. He has become tired of Fiona constantly working and never having time for him. He says that he will have an affair, but is being totally open about it as a favour to her.
Jack claims that he has never stopped, and will never stop, loving her. He packs his bags and drives off. Fiona carries on with work without making contact, changes the locks, and begins rehearsing the piano with colleague Mark Berner. Jack returns after two days. After letting him in, Fiona acts very coldly towards him, resulting in an argument, after Fiona is seen to have been to the office of a divorce solicitor.
The transfusion is successful, and Adam is released from the hospital. He leaves many messages for Fiona, saying that she has changed the way that he thinks about the world. Adam follows her to work one day, and gives her various poems and letters that he has written. She tells him to stop following her; she has other cases, while he is still young and has his whole life in front of him.
Next, Fiona travels to Newcastle for an Oath of Allegiance ceremony, and Adam follows her there. He tells her that he wants to live with her, as he does not understand why his parents were happy for him to die. Fiona sends him back to London. He kisses her on the lips and in the moment she accepts.
Shortly after she returns to London, Fiona accompanies Mark Berner on the piano at a lawyers' concert. Just before she is due to play, she gets a note saying that Adam has relapsed and may not make it through the night. Instead of the planned encore, she plays and sings "Down by the Salley Gardens", before rushing to the hospice to see Adam.
Adam has refused another blood transfusion, saying that it is his choice. Fiona returns home, and breaks down in front of Jack, telling him the story and calling Adam a "lovely boy". She falls asleep holding Jack's hand.
Adam dies and Fiona attends his funeral, before walking away with Jack.