Jasmine's four-year-old daughter goes missing from a mall on Black Friday, her disappearance sends the family into turmoil. Holding down the title as First Lady is not a job to take lightly. Jasmine's husband is head pastor at City of Lights - Riverside Church, presiding over one of the largest congregations in New York City. His wife and mother of his two children is not well liked by church members. Jasmine has a long history of husband stealing and believes God has forgiven her for her past sins.
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When the couples four-year-old daughter disappears from a shopping mall on the Black Friday, the busiest day of the holiday season Jasmine leans on her husband Hosea, her faith, and the remainder of her strength goes out in hopes of the police locating Jacquie. She can't forgive her Mae Frances, the elderly family friend who had accompanied the family to the mall.
After all, Mae Frances promised to watch Jackie while Jasmine went to the restroom to change her son's diaper. Hosea's father brings in the family attorney Dale Brody, after a mass email circulates throughout the congregation suggesting that Jasmine killed Jackie because she wasn't Hosea's daughter and he was about to learn the truth. The email almost causes Jasmine to have a nervous breakdown. She knows and remembers well all the dirt she did prior to marrying and becoming the head woman in a leadership role at a well respected spiritual institution.
Brody suggests, Jasmine and Hosea take a polygraph test to clear their names of any involvement. Jasmine balks, how dare anyone think she would hurt her baby. Hosea, complies urging Jasmine to follow suit. Seems that Jacquie was indeed fathered by another man. Dr. Brian Lewis is her dad, a certified sex addict Brian had a flings with hundreds of women and one got pregnant. Alexis, had dealt with him sleeping with scores of other women, but a baby by a woman she couldn't stand, a woman who had already caused her massive amounts of grief, would never do. Ever.
Alexis immediately filed for divorce and tried to forget her husband of five years, for the next three. Brian didn't want to cause waves between Jasmine and Hosea when they first married. He signed away his paternal rights, but never forgot Jacquie although he remained estranged from his little girl. That is until the day Jackie disappears from the mall. Brian has convinced Alexis that he had changed. He hounds her for months, stalking her home and office with dozens of roses daily. A quick glance at his AMEX bill shows eight-hundred dollars worth of “I'm sorry” in various colored floral arrangements over the last thirty days alone. When Alexis gives in, she and Brian share intimate time and she considers reconciling on a let's-take-it-slow, basis.
Brian decides to fly to New York to help with the investigation with the full understanding that Alexis sees this as a way for him and Jasmine to reconnect. He assures her that Jasmine has a husband and that he just feels he must help find his little girl. Jasmine continues a downward spiral as each day passes and there is no word of her daughter's whereabouts. Hosea does all he can to assist the police and sets up a “Find Jacquie” center with the help of his congregation, family, and close friends. He notices Jasmine's shutting him out and as she leans on Brian. When the two are finally alone Jasmine makes her move. Brian, refutes her advances. He really does love Alexis and is only in New York to help in the search for Jacquie.
Jasmine makes her way to Mae Frances to ask for her help after cursing the woman and blaming her for Jacquie's disappearance. Forgiving the older woman was the one thing she hadn't done while asking God to return her daughter. Mae Frances accepts and as a testimony to the power of prayer and forgiveness the phone rings. Jacquie has been found. Mother and surrogate grandmother rusth to the hospital to see Jacquie. It's been three long weeks since she was snatched away.
The doctor won't let take Jasmine to her child directly, he needs to share information about her state first, in preparation. Little Jacquie has been raped repeatedly and has totally withdrawn. Her captor has a history of molestation, a mother who takes in foster children and who is denial about her sons mental illness. Jacquie had only been a few miles from her family home the whole time.
Hosea loses it when he hears what his baby girl has been through. Jasmine goes in to see Jacquie, Hosea heads to the police station. His detective friend given information about the perp. Hosea, an expert marksman from his military past shoots the man who molested his child. He castrates him out outside of the precinct as the prisoner is being escorted in shackles to the police van. With Jacquie home, Jasmine has to find a way to stand by Hosea who is facing an attempted murder charge. He remains out on a two-hundred fifty thousand dollar bond.
A jury finds Hosea not guilty for shooting the molester, and guilty of discharging a firearm in a public plane and endangering the lives of others. The judge revoked the sentence. It may have had a lot to do with Brian and Alexis returning to New York to testify on his behalf. Certainly, Hosea's congregation and the testimony of so many people who believed he did, what any father should do to a man that hurts his baby girl, helped his cause.
Alexis and Brian reconcile and re-marry, Hosea is a free man, Jacquie has emotional healing to do, but is home safe, and Jasmine is thankful for it all.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked that Jacquie had so many people that loved her and never gave up on her return.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was Hosea's speech in court speaking on his role as a father and protector of his children.
Opinion about the main character:
Jasmine needed to humble herself much sooner than she did. It was hard to picture her as the first lady of a church in a leadership role. She was too selfish.
