The tumultuous settlement of the New World and the crossing of its two cultures form the backdrop for this sweeping saga of a courageous pioneer woman. Mary Ingles (Sheryl Lee, TV’s One Tree Hill) is pregnant when she and her young son are captured from their homestead in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains by Shawnee Indians. After giving birth, Mary finds herself falling for Wildcat, the Shawnee chief, but is determined to return home to her husband. Separated from her children after being sold, Mary convinces a fellow captive (Ellen Burstyn, The Fountain) to escape with her; and with unwavering resolve, she leads them on the journey of a lifetime—a journey home. Based on the book by James Alexander Thom of the same name.
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Sheryl Lee, Eric Schweig.
Note: Mary Draper Ingles (1732 – February 1815), also known in records as Mary Inglis or Mary English, was an American pioneer and early settler of western Virginia. In summer 1755 she and her two young sons were among several captives taken by Shawnee after the Draper’s Meadow Massacre during the French and Indian War. They were taken to Lower Shawneetown at the Ohio and Scioto rivers. Ingles escaped with another woman after two and a half months, making a trek of 500–600 miles through the frontier, crossing numerous rivers and creeks, and over the Appalachian Mountains to return home. Many who read the book did not enjoy the movie because it differed too much, but many others enjoyed this Hallmark presentation.