Ingrid Magnussen, who is an artist, brings up her teenage daughter Astrid alone. The daughter follows many aspects of her mother – Astrid is beautiful, strong and freedom-loving. They live together in their independent and amazing world, separated from all other people.
However, something happens in Ingrid’s life: she meets with her lover Barry Kolker, who after a while decides to abandon Ingrid. Strongly worrying about this injustice, the woman decides to punish the ex-boyfriend by poisoning him. The police arrest her the next day and Ingrid is sent to prison, initially without realizing that she will destroy her life and family ties with her daughter Astrid.
Astrid is forced to move to the temporary guardian named Starr, who lives in a small house with children in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. At first, everything goes well, but Starr eventually becomes jealous of Astrid and Starr’s lover Ray. Realizing that Astrid is young and beautiful, but Starr is not so young, she tries to kill the girl. Astrid goes to the hospital with a severe gunshot wound and after she is sent to the orphanage, where she faces new difficulties.
Other teenagers scoff at Astrid at the orphanage, but she tries not to pay attention to them, and Paul, a boy, who also lives there, begins to communicate with Astrid. Initially, Astrid ignores him, but then she finds out that Paul had more terrible troubles than she has. It does not stop him from remaining an honest man and a true friend.
Occasionally visiting Ingrid in prison, Astrid notices that the difference between her and mother is noticeable by the naked eye and their visions of the world are not similar. Ingrid repeatedly condemns Astrid because of the fact that she communicates with people, discovers and acknowledges their ideals and even makes friends.
After the orphanage, Astrid moves to another new family, where Claire Richards, who is a very famous actress, very warmly receives her. Claire lives with her husband, but they do not have their own children, so they decided to adopt a child. Claire and Astrid have very good relations and Astrid realizes that the best days of her life have come just in this house. Just here, Astrid finds out how is to be happy and beloved.
Everything changes, when Astrid suddenly finds out that Claire and her mother send letters to each other. Moreover, they even agree on a meeting, which greatly worries the girl. It becomes clear that Astrid’s mother does not feel any sympathy with this woman during the meeting in prison and Ingrid makes a few negative comments about Claire.
One day, Claire quarrels with her husband, who is constantly on business trips, but now he decides to divorce her. Despite all requests and pleas of his wife, he goes away, leaving Claire with Astrid. This is the last straw, because Claire’s husband is a meaning of her life. In the morning, Astrid reveals that Claire died from an overdose of drugs. Astrid understands that her mother is guilty of Claire’s senseless death, because Ingrid slowly prepared Claire for her suicide. The daughter decides not to visit her mother anymore and she determines herself in the orphanage, with which family she will live on.
To everybody’s surprise, Astrid goes to Rena Grushenka, who is from Russia and earns by collecting old and unnecessary things and reselling them in the market. Astrid’s appearance and character have changed in opinion of those people, who surround her, gradually joining to the virulent environment, in which she chooses to live on. Rena understands that Astrid is not like other girls, who help her on the market, realizing that the girl has a great future.
Susan D. Valeris, who is a lawyer of her mother, comes to Astrid. She tries to persuade the girl to help Ingrid by giving evidence in her mother’s favor in court. Initially, Astrid refuses, but then she decides that she could help her mother in return for the truth, which Astrid desires to get to know all her life.
Ingrid did not see her daughter for several years and she is terrified because of Astrid’s appearance and her inner world. They have become completely different people now, but they are still connected with each other.
Astrid promises to fulfill the request of the lawyer if Ingrid will tell the whole truth about the life of the girl, her father, the murder of Barry Kolker and Claire and much more. Without her hesitation, Ingrid tells the true story, which never crossed her mind, about Astrid’s childhood. Astrid begs her mother to “give her freedom”, so that she can finally become truly free.
In court, everything turns into the most unexpected way. Astrid should go into the courtroom, and when the meeting is declared closed, the girl suddenly realizes that her mother has fulfilled her request, “letting the girl go”, as she wished. Astrid moves to Berlin, Germany together with Paul, occasionally remembering her mother Ingrid and her past life. Despite all sufferings and pain caused by Astrid, Ingrid loves her daughter. She still misses her mother and California, and sometimes Astrid sends letters to her mom, but she decides to stay in Europe with Paul.
