This screenplay is adapted from the novel Yellowstone’s Child, by Charles W. Liebert, Copyright 2015. This screenplay contains only the basic storyline which is about one-quarter of the novel’s complete content and does not contain the seven stories of her 6th through 12th-grade experiences in school at VPSG (Ventura Private School for Girls.) I may not be performed in any media: stage, screen, electronic, etc. without the payment of a royalty and WRITTEN consent from the Author.
Yellowstone’s Child’s main theme is personal identity, how one answers the question, “Who am I?” The story begins when a married couple, Sam and Gloria Graham, chicken farmers from Mississippi, lose their 10-year-old daughter, Sally, to brain cancer. After her death, they plan to sell their Mississippi farm and move to Nebraska. Before selling, to help recover from their daughter Sally’s death; they take a short vacation in February at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. At the same time, at Yellowstone, three cousins from the Johanson family reunion fall into a river partially fed by hot springs. Two get right out but the third, Sarah, hits her head and floats away downstream on her back. The Grahams rescue her from the river and discover she has complete amnesia so, they kidnap her and take her back to Mississippi to replace their dead daughter, Sally. Park Rangers and Sarah’s family search the river in Yellowstone but recover no body. Sarah is eventually declared dead by the local coroner.
After returning to Mississippi with the new Sally (Sarah Johanson) the Grahams inherit significant wealth, move to Nebraska, change their identities and move again to Ventura CA as Sam, Gloria, and Sally Johnson. Sarah, now Sally, still with complete amnesia, enters an all-girls private school that specializes in preparing girls for careers in movies and TV. She starts in 6th grade at Ventura Private School for Girls and graduates 7 years later. During each school year, 6th through 12th, another secret about her identity develops that has to be kept by her and/or her parents. After graduating from VPSG she earns a BA in Music, Theater and Dance from Cal State. Two years later, about to finish her Masters, she has an auto accident, bumps her head. Her memory of her life before she was 10 returns realizing she is not wo she thought she was. The question: “Who am I?” sets her on a mission to find an answer.
After graduating, she tries her ability in the New York theater stage unsuccessfully and returns to California to try TV or movies. Then she obtains a starring role in the TV series DETECTIVES LIVE as Detective Elaine Scott.
She confronts her “parents”; they admit to kidnapping her and she continues to search for her real identity. She asks, “Who am I? Sarah, Sally, or Elaine. Johanson, Graham, Johnson, or Detective Scott.” She concludes, NO she’s really Yellowstone’s Child.
If this story were a movie it would be rated “G” and is suitable for teens. It’s a GREAT read and doesn’t take long. Readers complain that they weren’t able to put it down once they got to Yellowstone National Park.
There are two underlying messages in Yellowstone’s Child. All my characters are human. None of them is perfect. So, first the reader will recognize mankind’s imperfection. None of us are infallible. Second, as the plot unfolds, it shows life is uncertain and not often predictable. Since, as a Christian, I won’t use sex or violence to attract readers I opted for drama, plot reversals and “the story” within the story to keep reader interest. One of my first readers complained: “Yellowstone’s Child made me cry five times, twice for sadness, and three times for joy.” It’s that kind of a story! It’ll make a great TV miniseries.