The Basketmaker

After the death of her mother, 18 year old Mary Owen sets sail from England on board the 'Winifred', where she is seduced by a German watchmaker. He abandons her on arrival in Sydney and Mary gives birth to twin boys, William and Robert, in the Randwick Benevolent Asylum. William dies shortly after birth and Robert remains in the orphanage, where he uses the power of storytelling to provide respite from the harsh conditions of orphanage life. On his release from the asylum at age 14, Robert is trained as an apprentice basket maker, and unearths a natural talent for this craft. He achieves considerable success in his trade and marries Emily Atkins, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and has the loving family he always craved. Life is perfect and he is totally unprepared for the tragedy that awaits him, and the vile treatment handed out by his father in law. He loses everything he loves and believes his life is worth nothing, until a long lost friend from his past offers him another chance at happiness.