August 1995 — The night before driving her 18-year-old son to his first semester at college…

Gail, a widowed young mother, witnesses him pacing alone in their backyard, having an agitated conversation — with no one. He brushes aside her concerns, saying he just has ‘pre-college jitters.’ Grappling with the chilling sense that something is not right with her usually confident, extroverted son, she soon learns the shocking news that he has been admitted into the psych ward at the local hospital, deep in the throes of his first mental health episode.

Thus begins a living nightmare for Gail and her family as she struggles to free her son from the clutches of a thief-like illness that threatens to steal his life from him. As she confronts the mental health system and the complexities of her son’s condition, she must also make peace with her own tumultuous past to navigate the harrowing journey and challenges facing her and her family. With support from an unexpected team, healing occurs in ways Gail couldn’t have imagined.

Wolf and the Thief is an unflinching view of the trauma and impact on family dynamics when a member is affected by mental illness.

A story of hope, devotion, and one woman’s unwavering battle against unseen enemies— both her son’s and her own.