Anna Fitzgerald's older sister, Kate, suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Anna was conceived in order to harvest blood from her umbilical cord in order to use in treatments to help save Kate's life. Anna petitions for medical emancipation with the help of lawyer Campbell Alexander, so that she will be able to make her own decisions regarding her medical treatment and the donation of her kidney. Anna's mother, Sara, is an ex-lawyer and decides to represent herself and her husband in the lawsuit. Sara is protective of Kate, thus letting her other children, Jesse and Anna, fade away from her parental bonds.