Ordinary Miracles

The film opens with Judge Katherine 'Kay' Woodbury presiding over a busy San Diego courtroom. She is known for her strict adherence to the law, but her resolve is tested when she encounters Sally Powell, a 16-year-old foster child whose current family wants to return her to the state due to her 'lying and stealing.' Because the county homes are at capacity, Kay is forced to remand Sally to a juvenile correctional facility for three weeks. This decision weighs heavily on Kay, especially after her ex-husband Davis and a social worker named Miranda challenge her to do more than just follow the system. Using a specific legal code, Kay decides to take Sally into her own home for the duration of the court's recess. Sally is cynical and defensive, having been through four foster families in five years. Meanwhile, Kay is dealing with her own family drama; she is estranged from her father, a fellow lawyer, because he once asked her for an unethical legal favor. Kay hires a landscaper named Jim to work on her yard and, through her research into Sally's sealed records, discovers a shocking coincidence: Jim is James T. Powell Jr., Sally's biological father. Jim explains that he gave Sally up after a car accident killed his wife and left him with a broken back, believing he couldn't provide for her. Kay struggles with whether to tell Sally, eventually revealing the truth to Jim first, who reacts with fear and guilt. A subplot involves Sally's delinquent friend Pete, who pressures her to steal Kay's jewelry so they can run away to San Francisco. Sally steals a brooch but experiences a supernatural encounter at a party with a woman who appears to be the spirit of her deceased mother, who urges her to forgive. After Pete robs a store while Sally is in the car, she realizes she wants a better life and returns to Kay. The film reaches its climax when Kay's father suffers a heart attack, prompting Kay to finally forgive him. Jim eventually finds the courage to face his past, and the movie concludes with Kay taking Sally to visit her mother's grave, with Sally finding a permanent sense of belonging and home with Kay.