Sandra Chevere is the mother of five children. She is also serving time for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. She began selling drugs as a single mother trying to make ends meet. There were dentist bills, gas and lighting, clothes and food to worry about. By the time her children’s needs were met, Sandra had become addicted to both the money and the drugs. She was arrested in 1997. She gave birth to her last son, Isaiah, behind bars.

Sandra’s family joins the growing ranks of children with an incarcerated parent. Today, it’s estimated that more than 2% of the children in the country have a parent behind bars, and seven out of every 10 women in U.S. correctional institutions have children under the age of 18. The majority of these women are single parents.

Mikey, age 21, has taken over the parenting for the two toddlers, Darius and Isaiah. This is the story of their struggle to stay together during the three-year absence of their mother.