The sins of the mother. In the steel mill town of donora, pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 "Killing smog," Headstrong nurse rose pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Controlling and demanding, she's created...The sins of the mother. In the steel mill town of donora, pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 "Killing smog," Headstrong nurse rose pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Controlling and demanding, she's created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan.