The scene is Cornwell University, where college journalist Mary Stuartson (Melissa Joan Hart) shares a dorm room with Holly Sherman (Lisa Dean Ryan). Returning to the room one night in a battered state, Holly tells Mary that she has been raped by the school's star athlete, Clay Roberts (Josh Hopkins). Mary urges Holly to alert the authorities, but Holly is afraid of what the incident might do to her reputation--and besides, who'd take her word over Clay's? Galvanized into action, Mary investigates the situation and unearths several other examples of date rape that have been swept under the rug on campus. She then writes a series of articles about fictional rape victim "Molly", thereby making herself a target of persecution, recrimination and retribution by students, faculty members and "townies" alike--but Mary isn't the sort of young woman who backs down when she knows she's right! This made-for-TV drama was produced by the mother and aunt of star Melissa Joan Hart, and features Melissa's younger sister Emily Hart in a supporting role. Silencing Mary originally aired March 8, 1998 on NBC.