The Extra — Elizabeth Sims

Rita Farmer knows what it's like to be flat broke. Even now, when studying to be a lawyer, Rita is so far in debt that she has to scrounge for acting jobs to keep herself and her son afloat. Decked out in police uniform as an extra on a low-budget movie shoot, she wanders into a rough part of town and is pulled into a vicious assault. Rita chases off the two men but doesn't escape unscathed, and the boy they attacked isn't out of danger yet. His injuries could last the rest of his life.

Rita's heart goes out to him and his grandmother, Amaryllis B. Cubitt, the director of an urban mission that Rita had turned to for help years ago. But the mission has changed from its unassuming past and is now flush with secret donations and gruff guards posted at the doors. Rita can't help but wonder if now Amaryllis is too proud to ask for the help she needs.

Smart and charming, Rita Farmer is back in the spotlight in The Extra, a second act that is as dazzling and delightful as the first.