Far from Maddy

In a bid to heal herself from emotional trauma, twenty-two year old Jo takes the unusual step of opting out of the mainstream and a promising career in architecture, to take up life as a homeless person. On the eve of moving in with her lover, Maddy, Jo simply vanishes. So begins the strange tale of her self-determined disappearance and Maddy's desperate search to find her. As a child, Jo had tried to survive her mother's illness, alcoholism and suicide the best way she could. There was also her father's emotional distance and the loss of a much older sister when that sibling left home. Years later, Jo's interactions with Maddy, within their loving relationship, trigger the memory of these unresolved childhood issues. Jo's fear of emotional dependence on her lover reflects her fear of abandonment as a child and, so, in a pre-emptive strike, she runs away from Maddy before Maddy might think to abandon her. Eventually, Maddy makes contact with Jo but is frustrated by her refusal to return to mainstream society, and even more afraid for Jo's safety when she learns that she has reverted to heavy drug use.