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Deserted by her no-good husband, Kate Bradshaw (Mare Winningham), an illiterate, unemployed mother of three, proves to be easy prey for a smooth-talking older woman, Mary Gertrude (Polly Holliday). Persuaded to enroll her kids in Mary Gertrude's "child care center," Kate soon realizes to her horror that she has given up her youngsters to a crooked private adoption agency. In her subsequent battle to reclaim her children, Kate runs up against a brick wall of political conspiracy and corruption. Though the film contains very few surprises, fans of the old sitcom Father Knows Best might get a kick out of seeing Jane Wyatt in a none-too-sympathetic role. Missing Children: A Mother's Story made its CBS network bow on December 1, 1982.