Lizzie Borden, a 32-year-old woman living in 1892 Fall River, Massachusetts, is trapped in a suffocating household ruled by her domineering father, Andrew Borden. A man of wealth but little warmth, Andrew exerts total control over his family, especially Lizzie, whose independent spirit and refusal to marry make her a constant source of frustration for him. Lizzieβs stepmother, Abby, offers no comfort, siding with Andrew in maintaining the rigid social norms of the time. Lizzie, educated and strong-willed, chafes against her fatherβs restrictions, yearning for freedom in a world that allows her none.
Into this oppressive environment comes Bridget Sullivan, an Irish immigrant hired as the Borden familyβs maid. Bridget, like Lizzie, suffers under Andrewβs rule, enduring his cruelty and unwanted advances. Despite their differences in class, the two women form a bondβone that grows deeper as Lizzie finds solace in Bridgetβs presence. Bridget, in turn, is drawn to Lizzieβs defiance and intelligence, sensing in her a kindred spirit. As their relationship turns romantic, they become each otherβs escape from the suffocating world of the Borden household.
But their closeness does not go unnoticed. Andrew, already suspicious of Lizzieβs behavior, begins to exert even more control. He dismisses Lizzieβs social outings, humiliates her in front of guests, and ensures she remains financially dependent on him. When Lizzie discovers that Andrew plans to change his will, potentially leaving her with nothing, her resentment turns to something darker. At the same time, Bridget is trappedβunable to leave due to financial desperation, yet suffering at the hands of her employer. Lizzie, unwilling to accept this fate, begins to formulate a plan, her mind turning toward the unthinkable.
On August 4, 1892, events reach their boiling point. Andrew and Abby Borden are brutally murdered in their homeβAbby first, struck repeatedly with an axe while she tidies the upstairs guest room, and Andrew later, attacked as he naps on the sitting room sofa. The violence is shocking, but there are no clear witnesses, and suspicion immediately falls on Lizzie. Her alibi is weak, and her behaviorβcalm, composed, and inconsistent in her retellingsβraises eyebrows. Bridget, terrified and torn between loyalty and self-preservation, remains silent, aware that her own involvement with Lizzie could put her in danger.
The town of Fall River erupts with scandal, and Lizzie is arrested for the murders. During the trial, the prosecution paints her as a cold-blooded killer, motivated by greed and rage. But Lizzieβs defense team argues that she is a victim of circumstance, a woman whose only crime was challenging the expectations placed upon her. Public opinion is dividedβsome see her as a monster, while others view her as a tragic figure, a woman pushed to the edge by a cruel and unforgiving society.
In the end, Lizzie is acquitted, but her victory is hollow. She returns to Fall River, free but forever marked. Bridget, unable to bear the weight of what she knows, leaves, disappearing from Lizzieβs life. Alone in a house filled with ghosts, Lizzie faces the reality of what she has doneβnot just the crime itself, but the loss of the only person who ever truly understood her. As she stands in the empty mansion, the weight of her choices settling upon her, one thing becomes clear: though she may have escaped one prison, she has built another, one from which she will never be free.
