Free as a Bird

Ruby Jean is left at Woodlands School (formerly called the Provincial Lunatic Asylum) by her mother and step-father when she turns eight. She has Down Syndrome. We follow her life as she suffers injustice and abuse at the hands of her keepers, and eventually is able to leave and be sponsored by a loving elderly couple. A misunderstanding causes her to run away and live for a time on the streets of Vancouver with the homeless, but she eventually returns to live with Nan and Pops.