Wild Bird

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of substance abuse, sexual abuse, violence, familial conflict, emotional distress, and the unique challenges of a wilderness therapy setting.

Fourteen-year-old Wren Clemmens is awakened in the middle of the night by the voices of her parents (Morris and Lydia Clemmens), her older sister Annabella, and her younger brother Morris Lee (“Mo.”) Dazed and hungover, she is surprised to see a police officer in her house. Wren’s parents tell her that the officer is here to take her away for her own good. She panics when she realizes that they have her phone, and she screams at them for answers, but they offer no explanation beyond asserting that they have no other option. As she is hauled away, she yells a promise to be better, but she is met with silence.

Joel, the police officer, puts Wren into a black SUV that is driven by a woman in uniform. Wren learns that she is headed to the Los Angeles airport, and when she tries to escape, she earns a stern reprimand from Joel. He reveals that she is now in his legal custody, and he is prepared to restrain her by force if necessary.