In the verité style he made popular, Wiseman observes the lives and stories of women living in a Tampa, Florida, shelter for battered women. One follows these women through the registry process, assignment of housing and counseling sessions, as well as through their interactions with the staff who run the shelter and provide comfort. To witness these survivors pick themselves up and try to go forward with their lives, especially those who have children, is dramatic, hopeful, and heartbreaking.