Copyright 1997 Grossbart Barnett Productions

When Dorothy Hajdys says good-bye at the airport to her son Allen Schindler as he prepares to return to his navy base in Japan, little does she know it is the last time she will ever see him alive. Returning to his ship after a night on the town, Allen is followed by fellow shipmates Terry Helvey and Charles Vins, who - looking for some "fun" - follow Allen into a restroom in a park and beat him to death. Helvey confesses to the murder and implicates Vins as a conspirator. Concerned about potential negative publicity, the navy sends a representative to the ship to quiet the rumor mill.

Allen is given a military funeral by the Navy back home in Chicago and when Dorothy is told that the murderers were Allen's fellow shipmates, she is shocked and confused. But it is a call from Rick Rodgers, a reporter from the military newspaper Pacific Stars and Stripes, telling her that her son was a victim of gaybashing, that turns her world upside down. Dorothy goes into complete denial that Allen was gay, even when daughter Kathy tries to convince her that Allen had tried to tell her he was gay a few years earlier.

Dorothy calls Captain John Curtis, the legal officer assigned to the case. He evades her questions, but promises to notify her when the hearings are to be held. The national press soon gets wind of the story and camps out in front of her house. When the family gets together to discuss the situation, they implore Dorothy to squash the rumors - especially her ex-husband's cousin Doris, who makes no attempt to conceal her homophobia and feels that the "rumors" are tarnishing their good name.

Filled with confusion, Dorothy goes to her mother Gertie for advice, who simply says that even if Allen was gay, it's not a reason for murder. When Dorothy picks up Allen's personal effects at the post office and reads in his diary about his relationship with another man, she is forced to confront the truth.

Dorothy slowly comes to terms with Allen's homosexuality and finally speaks to the press, saying that regardless of Allen's sexual preference, he should not have been killed. When Allen's friends hold a memorial service in San Diego, she attends with Kathy. Although at first uncomfortable around Allen's gay friends, she begins to see that her preconceptions were wrong. She also learns that Allen had complained to his division commanders about the harassment he continually received, but nothing was ever done.

After the service, Chicago Tribune reporter Peggy Evans tells Dorothy that three weeks after Allen's murder, a secret navy court martial was held where Vins was found guilty and served a sentence of only 78 days. When Dorothy confronts Captain Curtis, he tries to justify the Navy's actions by saying it was closed in order to build a stronger case against Helvey and promises that she will be told when Helvey's Article 32 hearing will be held.

Weeks later, Dorothy discovers that it has also been held in private. Realizing the Navy will not be held accountable for her son's murder on their own volition, she begins to give interviews to the national media and goes to the Pentagon to confront the navy at the highest level. Reminiscent of Watergate, she begins to crack open the cover-up to reveal the true nature of Allen's death to the world.

Helvey pleads guilty and Dorothy decides to attend his sentencing in Japan hoping to bring closure to her son's death. During the sentencing, Dorothy eloquently speaks about how much Allen loved the Navy and how she trusted them to take care of him only to be tragically let down. Although the defense tries to paint Helvey as a victim of child abuse, he is sentenced to life in prison.

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