Amish out of order

Meet Mose Gingerich, the de facto mayor of the ex-Amish community in Columbia, Missouri. Born and raised Amish, Mose left the community nine years ago, and has been helping others make the transition ever since. For the Amish, the decision to leave the faith is enormous—leaving means permanent shunning by their friends, family, and community, and, according to their beliefs, an afterlife in hell.

Mose is usually the one to help ex-Amish youths transition into the “English” life, but in this episode, he has a crisis of faith when Michaela, a non-Amish teenager whose heart is set on joining the Amish, challenges his views. Michaela is drawn to the simplicity of Amish culture and their strong devotion to family and community—but joining from the outside isn't easy.

Ex-Amish teenager Jonas has attained the ultimate teenage dream—a driver’s license. But his new-found freedom is cut short when a terrible car crash lands him in the hospital, fighting for his life. Jonas’ accident devastates the ex-Amish community. And matters are made worse when his Amish father tells him that, if he had died outside the Amish faith, he would have spent an eternity in hell.

The Amish view hard work and physical labor as integral to their identity, lifestyle and self-sufficiency. Michaela, a non-Amish teenager who wishes to join the Amish church to escape her troubled past and live a simpler life, goes to stay with Rachel, a very traditional Old Order Amish woman — but only on the condition that she helps with chores.

Prior to a lecture, Mose travels to Lancaster, Pa. where he learns the crucial role that tourism plays in the life of the Amish.

Mose tries to reopen the lines of communication with his mother who still sees him as an outcast.

The role that religion plays in the lives of Amish and ex-Amish alike; Mose confronts his conflicted beliefs.

Mose returns from his road trip determined to open a counseling center in Columbia; tragedy strikes the community.