When Bill and Betsy Stern ask MaryBeth Whitehead to bear a surrogate child for them, it seems like a perfect arrangement. But little do they realize that MaryBeth will refuse to surrender her new born daughter. There are no laws governing surrogacy and when MaryBeth goes on the run with the baby, the Stems are forced into a traumatic court case to fight for custody of the daughter they have grown to love so dearly. But even more crucial are the rights of Baby M herself, a child growing up with two names, two homes, a child torn between two loving families.