A father named Tom from California expresses his concern when his 5-year-old daughter, Emma, disappears every evening between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Emma’s unusual behavior and her reluctance to answer questions about her whereabouts lead Tom to suspect that she’s hiding something.
Despite her advanced intellect and kind heart, Tom becomes determined to uncover the truth when she continues to slip out of the house without explanation. One evening, Tom follows Emma and discovers that she’s meeting a woman at an abandoned house on their estate.
Tom enters the house to find out what’s going on and is relieved to discover that the woman is Emma’s kindergarten teacher, who had been arranging after-school activities for her. The teacher had been instructed to keep the meetings a secret due to the long commute and to ensure Emma’s safety. Tom is relieved and grateful that his daughter’s secret was nothing sinister, and he allows the teacher to continue the after-school activities.
Tom discovers an unexpected scene when he follows his daughter. He finds an older woman, later identified as Linda, living with over 20 stray dogs. Tom confronts Linda, who shares her sad story of loneliness and abuse in an old adult home.
She explains how she ran away and lived on the street with her dogs, and how Emma, Tom’s daughter, had been secretly visiting and helping her. Moved by her story, Tom lets Linda stay at their house and tells Emma not to keep secrets. Inspired by their daughter’s kindness, Emma’s parents decide to rescue Linda and her dogs, turning their house into a shelter for stray animals. The family’s story spreads online, and several dog charities raise funds to support the shelter, ultimately rehoming 40 stray animals.
