The Healer

A Polish-Canadian woman named Julie plans to take her adolescent twins, Nicholas and Nicole, and leave her partner Henry after she catches him cheating on her. Her plans are put on hold when Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer. She decides to stay with Henry at least for the time being to focus on getting Nicholas well. But things look dire for him when he proves to be allergic to the chemotherapy. This situation brings up disagreements in beliefs, specifically between Julie's spiritualistic nature--she believes that their dysfunctional marriage has something to do with his illness--and scientist Henry's sole belief in science and western medicine; and among Julie's devout Catholic father, non-devout but still Jewish Henry, and Julie, who does not believe in formal religion. At her wit's end, Julie--against Henry's wishes--decides to take the advice of her father's Polish mail-order bride Bogusia, despite not fully trusting her. Bogusia mentions that she once had a tumor that disappeared after she visited a faith healer in Poland: Alexy, an ethnic Russian. Regardless of her beliefs, Julie feels she does not have the right not to see him for Nicholas' sake. Julie and Nicholas' encounters with Alexy bring a profound change to the lives of all three.