Stephanie Daley 2007

In a quaint town in upstate New York, sixteen-year-old Stephanie Daley finds herself in a dire situation while on a school skiing trip, collapsing in a pool of blood. When a doctor examines her, he uncovers that the blood contains afterbirth. Shortly after, a shocking discovery is made—the body of a 26-week-old baby girl is found in a bathroom stall, its mouth tragically blocked with toilet paper. Despite Stephanie’s claims that her child was stillborn and her surprise at being pregnant, she is arrested for the murder, earning a scornful title from the media as the “ski mom.”

While awaiting her trial, Stephanie is assessed by forensic psychologist Lydie Crane, who is herself pregnant, nearing 30 weeks. Tasked by the prosecution to investigate whether Stephanie truly was unaware of her pregnancy, Lydie’s first encounter with the Daley family reveals a poignant truth—Stephanie’s mother firmly states that her daughter will never accept a plea deal.

As Lydie encourages Stephanie to share more about the circumstances that led to her labor, the narrative unfolds through poignant flashbacks. A reserved and inexperienced teen, Stephanie is raised in a strict religious household and attends a school promoting abstinence-only sex education. Her world takes a turn one fateful night at a party with her friend Rhana. Seeking solitude from the crowd, she retreats to a room, where she meets Corey, a recent high school graduate. This encounter leads to an impulsive act of intimacy, after which Corey enlists in the Marines, leaving Stephanie alone and unaware of the life-changing consequence of their brief moment together.

When Lydie inquires if Stephanie understood how she became pregnant, she skirts the question, attributing her condition to some divine punishment for her perceived weaknesses. Frustrated, Lydie opens up about her own loss—having given birth to a stillborn child just months before conceiving her current baby—and poses a challenging question to Stephanie about what she believes she was punished for.

Meanwhile, Lydie’s marriage to her husband Paul faces tumultuous waves after the death of their stillborn baby, a grief that lingers in their lives. As Stephanie reveals details about her sexual history and the challenges with her parents, Lydie confronts her own suppressed sorrow concerning her lost child. Suspecting Paul of infidelity, Lydie musters the courage to confront him, leading to a heated exchange where he hints that her inability to grieve might be straining their relationship.

As Stephanie recounts the harrowing day of the ski trip, it’s clear that no one among her friends noticed her pregnancy—they simply commented on her increasing weight. While on the slopes, Stephanie goes into early labor, desperately making her way to a bathroom where she endures the painful delivery alone. She claims to have wrapped the infant in toilet paper, insisting that the baby was stillborn.

With her trial approaching, a painful incident unfolds when Stephanie encounters hostility from passersby outside her home, leading to an emotional breakdown as she cuts her hand on broken glass. This distress draws her mother’s concern, prompting Stephanie to reconsider her choices regarding her plea. During a moment of vulnerability, she reveals to Lydie a buried memory of her delivery—the painful acknowledgment that her baby was alive when she was born, but feeling helpless, she inadvertently wished for her child to die, believing she had caused her own baby’s demise through her thoughts. Overwhelmed with guilt, Stephanie finds comfort in Lydie’s empathetic embrace as both women navigate the complexities of loss and the haunting shadows of their pasts.