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In 1989, Josey, played by Charlize Theron, returns to her hometown in Northern
Minnesota with her children, Sam (
Thomas Curtis) and Karen (Elle arents'Peterson), after escaping from her abusive husband. She moves in with her parents, Alice (
Sissy Spacek) and Hank (
Richard Jenkins). Hank is ashamed of Josey, who became pregnant at the age of 16, and believes that this was the result of Josey being promiscuous. The townspeople believe the same, which causes them not to allow Josey to blend in. Her only friends are Kyle Dodge (
Sean Bean) and his wife Glory (
Frances McDormand), who works at the local iron mines – the town's main source of income – and they promise to get Josey a job there. They also allow Josey to stay at their place with her children, due to Josey's bad relationship with her father.
Josey quickly befriends the other female workers at the mine, which include Glory, Sherry (
Michelle Monaghan) and Big Betty (
Rusty Schwimmer), and becomes the target of provocations spearheaded by Bobby Sharp (
Jeremy Renner), Josey's high school boyfriend who also works at the mine. Her attempts to stop the provocations by reporting it to the mine's higher-up only worsen it, and soon all the women are being verbally and physically abused by men at the factory. Josey, in addition, is also sexually harassed by many of them, including Bobby.
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Josey's refusal in giving in on her male co-workers' demands causes them to spread lies about her being promiscuous and trying to seduce them, which cause Josey to be further segregated not only by her father and the men's wives, but also by Sam, who starts believing that his mother is indeed promiscuous after discovering that he was the result of her teenage pregnancy. After even the mine's board of directors refuses to hear Josey's complaints about the way women are treated at the mine, she quits and asks Bill White (
Woody Harrelson) – a friend of Kyle and Glory and also a lawyer – to help her file a lawsuit against the company. Bill tells her that the best way to win a case like this is by convincing the other women to back up her statements in court. The women, however, are hesitant, as this would mean risking their jobs, and refuse. Josey also discovers that Glory has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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Hank is disappointed by Josey's decision, and Alice leaves him, tired of hearing him criticizing their daughter for something that was not her fault. Hank later attends a union meeting. Josey appears, hoping to address the miners and explain her reasons for suing the mine. When they refuse to hear her and start verbally abusing her, Hank stands up for his daughter and reprimands his co-workers for their rude treatment of Josey and all the women at the factory.ç
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At the court, the mine's lawyers attempt to hold Josey's so-called "promiscuous" past against her, and have Bobby Sharp testify on how Sam is the fruit of a relationship between Josey and one of her teachers. Josey then reveals the truth: When she and Bobby were 16, they were caught skipping class and kissing by their teacher and were forced to stay after class as punishment. When detention ended, Bobby left first to start up his car, intending to give Josey a ride. While he was away, Josey was attacked and raped by her teacher. Bobby witnessed the act and, unable to cope with the trauma, interpreted it as consensual sex. Josey got pregnant from the rape, but refused to abort the baby or give it away, and had Sam. This causes both him and her father to regret the way they treated her over the years.
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The revelation of the true circumstances behind the event that led the entire town to judge and mistreat Josey causes several of the miners to repent for their actions and apologize. It also gives the women the courage they need, and they stand up, backing up Josey's claims about the harassment. With this, the mining company loses the case and is forced to pay the women for what they suffered, in addition to establishing a sexual harassment policy at the workplace. Josey, vindicated, thanks Bill for all that he has done for her and her family and departs to teach Sam how to drive, telling him that she intends to buy him a car on his 18th birthday.
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