Plot

The story depicts the struggle of Luz Cuevas (Judy Reyes

Judy Reyes

Judy Reyes is an American actress of Dominican heritage. She is best known for her portrayal of nurse Carla Espinosa on the TV comedy Scrubs.-Early life:...

) to find her baby daughter, Delimar Vera Cuevas, who disappeared in 1997 after their house caught fire during a party. The police reported that Delimar was killed in the fire. However, Cuevas suspects that she was kidnapped, and that the fire was staged by an outsider. Six years after the fire, Cuevas meets Valerie Valleja (Ana Ortiz

Ana Ortiz

Ana Ortíz is an American actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a regular cast-member on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in which she plays the title character's older sister, Hilda Suarez...

), who was at the party on the day of the fire. She has a six year old girl with her. The girl bears a resemblance to Cuevas, and she suspects it is Delimar. Cuevas begins an investigation into Valleja, and finds out that the girl is in fact Delimar through a DNA test.

Actual Events

As depicted in the film, the daughter of Luz Cuevas and Pedro Vera, Delimar Vera, was taken by Carolyn Correa (depicted in the film as Valerie Valleja), a distant friend of Pedro's cousin. In 1997, Correa deliberately ignited a fire in Cuevas' house to cover up the incident. Following a series of DNA tests which resulted in a confirmation of Cuevas' maternity over Delimar, Correa was arrested in 2004 and taken to trial, having been placed on $1 million bail. Entering a plea of nolo contendere

Nolo contendere

is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...

, she was accused and found guilty of kidnapping, arson, and attempted murder, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2005. Correa will be eligible for parole in 2014.