The same society that encourages women to seek true love shows them no mercy when that love turns dangerous. Private Violence explores a simple, but disturbing fact of American life: the most dangerous place for a woman in America is her own home. Every day in the US at least four women are murdered by abusive partners or ex-partners.
Oklahoma policewoman Deanna was kidnapped by her estranged husband and beaten in the cab of his truck over a harrowing four-day journey. When they were pulled over by police,  he was not arrested in spite of her devastating injuries. Film-maker Cynthia Hill follows Deanna's journey as she rebuilds her life and fights to place her former partner behind bars. Accompanying Deanna is Kit Gruelle, a domestic violence victim turned advocate who navigates the complex world of domestic violence courts, shelters, and law enforcement. Kit’s work immerses us in the lives of several other women, as they attempt to leave their abusers, setting them on a collision course with institutions that continuously and systematically fail them, often blaming victims for the violence they hope to ease. As Deanna transforms from victim to survivor, Private Violence begins to shape powerful, new questions that hold the potential to change our society: ‘Why do they commit abuse?’, ‘Why do we turn away?’, ‘How do we begin to build a future without domestic violence?’