1914. A family of hard horsemen - a champion pugilist who gave up his dreams – a woman no longer faithful – a vengeance turning bloody. (Screenplay plus Novel).

SYNOPSIS:

Set in the New South Wales town of Wellington 1900 to 1914 (including flashbacks to Scotland and Denmark). Although the storyline does not adhere to the following chronology, the overall content is this:

Joe McCallister grows up on his uncle's horse property in Scotland. Large and

awkward as a child, he lives in extreme poverty with his widowed mother. He

is treated as little more than a slave by his uncle and suffers many beatings.

At 15, and unable to withstand further abuse, he leaves to find a better life.

Reluctantly he must abandon his mother. His burning ambition is to return to

her with enough money to ensure she has her own home and income.

He finds the fastest way to earn money is in the prize-fighter’s ring. More than

merely earning money, though, he is also given a self-respect and status he

has never previously known. While in Wales and fighting for the British

Heavyweight Championship he meets and falls in love with Anna, the woman

who will be his wife.

Joe returns in triumph to Scotland only to find his mother has died of

pneumonia. His guilt over his failure to protect and help her, along with his

oppressed and impoverished childhood, sees him relentlessly pursuing the

world heavyweight crown (bare knuckles).

He marries Anna and she falls pregnant. While in contest in Denmark,

however, he almost kills a man. Afraid he will also be killed or crippled one

day, Anna convinces him to give up his quest. Reluctantly, Joe agrees, but

given what happened with his mother, he feels she may be right – he must

protect his family. Anna gives birth to a son and the family immigrates to

Australia where they buy a small property in Wellington, New South Wales.

Here Anna gives birth to a second child, another son.

Joe pursues the only trade other than boxing he knows, that of horse-breaker.

His heart, though, is not in it. He becomes resentful that he was not able to

pursue his dreams and foresees a hard and impoverished life ahead, a

repetition of his earlier life. The family business suffers, beginning to fail. Joe

takes to the bottle, his mind unstable.

Murders follow.

It is the sons growing up in such a world who ultimately must judge their father.

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