Mandie Shaw is a young girl who lives in the 1800s with her grandmother in a small town in North Carolina. Mandie is half Cherokee and her mother passed away when she was young, leaving her with many unanswered questions about her past. Mandie's grandmother is a strict woman who doesn't want her to explore her Cherokee heritage and tries to keep her away from the tribe.
One day, Mandie's life takes a dramatic turn when she learns that her father, whom she thought was dead, is actually alive and living in a mansion in the mountains. With the help of her Cherokee friends, Uncle Ned and Jonah, Mandie escapes from her grandmother's house and heads to the mansion to find her father and learn the truth about her past.
Once at the mansion, Mandie discovers that her father is a wealthy businessman who left her mother and her behind when she was young. Mandie also uncovers many secrets about her past and realizes that her father is not the person she thought he was. With the help of her friends, Mandie sets out to uncover the truth about her father and find a way to reconnect with her Cherokee heritage.
The movie, released in 2009, is based on the book series Mandie by Lois Gladys Leppard. It stars Lexi Johnson as Mandie and Dean Jones as grandfather Simpson. The movie was well received by audiences and critics and has since become a beloved family-friendly classic.