The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

Liz receives a call from Harold, her mother’s neighbor, informing her that her 94-year-old mother, Cecily, has fallen at her home and is unconscious. As Liz frantically gets ready and speeds toward town on icy roads, she is consumed by both her ongoing grief for her husband, Dean, who died suddenly three years prior, and her regret over her mother’s living situation. She reflects on her recent, unsuccessful attempts to persuade the fiercely independent Cecily to move into a safer senior apartment. Cecily had flatly refused all suggestions, and Liz, overwhelmed by her own sorrow and a desire to avoid conflict, had let the matter drop. Now, facing the emergency she had known was inevitable, Liz rushes toward her mother’s house.

Cecily Larson wakes in her kitchen after falling down the stairs and breaking her hip. As paramedics prepare her for the hospital, her daughter, Liz, arrives. The accident forces Cecily to consider a promise she made to herself: to reveal the truth about her family’s history before she dies. She recalls that about a year ago she hinted at the subject to Liz, who assumed Cecily, as an orphan, knew nothing of her origins. However, Cecily knows her birth name was Cecily McAvoy and her parents’ names were Madeline and Thomas. She discovered this with a friend at the orphanage by sneaking into an unlocked office while the headmistress was called away by a kitchen fire.

As she is loaded into the ambulance, Cecily remembers when she was a seven-year-old orphan. The headmistress, Mrs. Hamilton, presents her to a strange man, negotiating a “price” for her. To prove Cecily’s value and fearlessness, Mrs. Hamilton forces her to perform a dangerous stunt she had previously been punished for: walking across a high staircase railing. Cecily completes the walk and flips to dismount, impressing the man.

Molly argues with her son, Caden, after he reveals that his father and her ex-husband, Evan, is coming to town for a visit. The news upsets Molly, triggering painful memories of her father’s death and her subsequent divorce and custody battle. She recalls how the court’s decision for Caden to live with her in Minnesota cast her as the disciplinarian parent, while Evan remains the fun, long-distance father. Molly reflects on how her grandmother, Cecily, has been her primary source of support since her return to Itasca. After dropping Caden off at school, Molly gets a frantic call from her mother, Liz, telling her to rush to the hospital for an emergency involving Cecily.

In October 1927, Cecily tells her friends Flip and Dolores about the man who had shown interest in her. This worries them because they do not want to be separated, and they realize that adoption is unlikely at their age: seven. Cecily holds a secret belief that her mother, Madeline, who surrendered her for financial reasons, is still alive and will return for her. Fearing she will miss her mother’s return, Cecily wants to tell Mrs. H. she will not go with the man—though Flip immediately scoffs that no one can say no to Mrs. H. That night, Dolores warns Cecily that something bad is going to happen and that the man who visited is bad. The warning leaves Cecily afraid of being forced to leave the home, her friends, and her hope of being reunited with her mother.

In 2015, Cecily awakens in a hospital to find her daughter, Liz, and granddaughter, Molly. Liz informs her that due to her injuries, she will be transferred directly to a rehab facility called The Pines instead of going home. Cecily objects, but she relents when Molly gently insists that she will need professional care.

The situation triggers a memory from her childhood in the orphanage. The headmistress suddenly tells a young Cecily that a man has come to take her away. Cecily refuses, crying that her mother is coming back for her and that she promised not to leave Dolores and Flip. She realizes she is being sold when she observes the man giving Mrs. H. an envelope of money. During a frantic goodbye, Cecily promises her friends she will come back for them, but Dolores predicts that Cecily will never return. Mrs. H. separates the children and pushes Cecily out the door with the man, who takes her to a train.

While Cecily rests after hip surgery, Liz goes to her parents’ house to collect some personal items. Being there stirs up old memories. Then, as she packs in Cecily’s bedroom, in the dresser she discovers an old, black-and-white photograph of a serious young man—possibly African American, though it is difficult to tell—with the name “Lucky” written on the back. Confused, but deciding it is not the right time to ask questions, Liz puts the photo back. She finishes packing and is overwhelmed with anxiety about her mother’s grim prognosis and the new caregiving duties she must undertake. Spying a photograph of her father on the fridge, she says that she is not ready to lose her mother.

In October 1927, the man takes Cecily from the orphanage in a taxi. Cecily, who has never been in a car, is awestruck by the sights of downtown Chicago as the man points out landmarks, telling her she is going to see the world. During the taxi ride, he mentions they are heading to a place called Belvidere to meet up with “the show” and that a woman named Isabelle is waiting to meet her, though he provides no further explanation. At Union Station, Cecily struggles to keep up with him through the crowds. On the train, Cecily gets a window seat and watches the city’s buildings recede into farmland. Having left the only home and city she has ever known, she feels a mix of dizziness and wonder as she speculates about her unknown destination and the stranger who has taken her.

While driving from the hospital where Cecily is recovering, Molly receives a call from her ex-husband, Evan. He is coming to town for Caden’s hockey game and, with all hotels booked, asks to stay with her. Overwhelmed by the day’s events, Molly tearfully tells Evan about Cecily’s condition. Evan is sympathetic, and she reluctantly agrees to let him stay on her couch. During the call, Evan reveals he has offered to pay for Caden’s honors biology project, which is news to Molly.

After picking up Caden, Molly learns the project involves a four-generation DNA analysis, including her, her mother Liz, and Cecily. Molly informs Caden that Cecily was an orphan who never knew her parents or siblings, noting the project could reveal unknown relatives. When Molly wonders aloud if the DNA test might explain her past miscarriages, Caden cruelly states they were her fault. The ensuing argument leaves Molly devastated and feeling defeated in her parenting.

In October 1927, the man takes Cecily by train to Belvidere, Illinois. There, he leads her past the station to a line of colorfully painted cars belonging to the Sax & Tebow Circus. After changing into a ringmaster’s uniform, he lifts Cecily onto his white horse, Blanco, climbing up behind her, and they lead the circus parade through town together. Cecily is thrilled by the cheering crowds. Afterward, during a meal in the circus cook tent, Cecily learns the man’s name is Mr. Tebow. He gives her a ringside seat to watch the entire performance from a backstage entrance. She is mesmerized by the clowns, animal acts, and acrobats. The final performer is a beautiful bareback rider, Isabelle DuMonde, who performs incredible feats moving sequentially across three white Percherons. As the act concludes, Mr. Tebow appears beside Cecily and reveals that Isabelle will be teaching Cecily how to perform the same act.

While visiting Cecily in the hospital, Molly discusses Caden’s DNA project with Liz, who enthusiastically agrees and insists on paying for DNA kits for Cecily, Liz, Molly, and Caden. They hope to learn about Cecily’s unknown ancestry as a surprise for her upcoming 95th birthday. They reflect on how little they know about Cecily’s past; Liz says she knows nothing anything about Cecily’s childhood, while Molly recalls that Cecily mentioned meeting her husband at a sanatorium in Rhode Island. To obtain Cecily’s saliva sample covertly, Liz suggests having Molly’s friend who works at the hospital pretend it’s a routine medical test. Liz also arranges for Evan to stay at Cecily’s empty house. When Molly informs Evan, he decides to extend his visit from a weekend to possibly two weeks.