Sylwek Szweda

When high school music teacher Michael McCann discovers his wife is pregnant by another man, the couple divorce and Michael retreats into a life of solitude as a maker of finely crafted furniture in rural Virginia. Five years later, he lives in a small town, his only companion a valuable collection of gold coins. But his heart is set to be hurt again when Tammy Newland, the unsavory younger brother of politician John Newland, crashes his brother's car outside the woods surrounding Michael's house. Desperate to recoup the loss of the car, Tammy steals Michael's coins while he is sleeping and takes off into the night, and is never seen again.

Shortly after, in the middle of a winter storm, Michael is startled to discover a toddler has wandered into his home while he was outside gathering wood. A short distance from his house he discovers the body of her mother, a heroin addict whose car had run out of gas nearby. Unbenownst to him, the child is the illegitimate daughter of John Newland, who participates in the investigation but keeps his relationship to the little girl a secret in order to protect his career.

Michael is permitted to adopt the child and christens her Mathilda. She proves to be a bit of a handful in her early years, but with the help of friend and local shopkeeper April Simon, Michael manages to raise her to be a bright, personable, precocious young lady, and the once sour, lonely man is transformed by her presence.

As John Newland watches his daughter grow older, he begins to invite her to join him and his wife Nancy in their home and arranges for her to learn to ride a horse, eventually giving her one of her own. Nancy has suffered two miscarriages and wants to adopt a child, but John resists and finally reveals Mathilda's true identity, and his desire to adopt Mathilda properly. Nancy encourages him to gain custody of the girl, and a trial ensues. The judge is inclined to side with the Newlands, given their wealth and ability to provide Mathilda with advantages she never would have with Michael, including the Newlands' lawyer's unfriendly and partly fabricated prosecution regarding Michael's divorce. Then the remains of Tanny Newland - surrounded by the gold coins he had stolen from Michael - are found at the bottom of a quarry his brother was draining to create a lake surrounded by prime real estate he planned to sell for a tidy profit. Michael's sudden return to wealth turns the tide in his favor, and it is decided Mathilda will remain with him. The film ends with Mathilda visiting her late mother's grave.