A Mother’s Promise

It should’ve been the happiest time of Lee Barnett’s life. She was married to a man she loved and trusted, Harris Todd, and she was pregnant with her first child. But things quickly turned from dream to nightmare when Harris demanded a divorce. Rich, powerful and well-connected in their hometown of Charleston, USA, he was able to spin the court proceedings in his favour, leaving Lee emotionally and financially devastated. And then came the final blow: she lost custody of her beautiful daughter Savanna, who was only eleven months old.

Desperate to stay with her daughter, and fearing for Savanna’s wellbeing if she were to be raised without a mother, Lee fled the USA, taking her baby daughter with her. All ties to their past were cut, as they travelled the world under aliases before finally settling in Queensland and living a happy and fulfilling life. Then one morning in 2013, nineteen years after they first disappeared and on the other side of the world, the FBI knocked on Lee’s door.

Powerful, compelling and affecting, this is an unforgettable true story of a mother’s love and willingness to sacrifice everything to stay with her daughter.