And Her Eyes Were Stolen

Even as a child growing up in rural Mississippi, Mary knew that she was different. She didn't look like her father or her little sister, Susie. As if bearing some grudge of her own, Mary's mother treats Mary differently too, always blaming her for every little thing and allowing her husband to verbally abuse her and punish her wrongfully. If it weren't for the support and love of her teacher and the kindly bus driver Mr. Gene, Mary would no doubt have been overwhelmed by her sad home life. But when one of her teachers learns that Mary has a talent for poetry and writing she nurtures the child's talent. Even though Mary has setbacks, her teacher keeps her working and writing and, most of all, believing in herself. When nearing the end of high school, Mary meets a rich boy named Jonathan, whose family is eminent. It is her mother who encourages her to get serious. But the boy's mother has other plans for her son, including the family law firm, and she manages to break them up. Mary's talent wins her a scholarship and with the help of some loving neighbors she gets enough aid to attend the famous University of Iowa Writing course. At Iowa, lo and behold she meets up again with Jonathan, who has bucked his family's wishes and is living his own life, which guided him to Iowa too. After a rough start and some misunderstanding the two get together, marry and Mary embarks on a successful song writing career in conjunction with her best friend and songstress, Missy.