The Fry family of Dorsetshire are caught in the deadly grip of poverty in 19th century rural England.While many around them die from hunger and disease and many others are swallowed up by countless overflowing workhouses, Josiah Fry conceives a plan that will give his own family a means of escape and a fresh start in life. He decides to deliberately commit a crime punishable by transportation to Van Diemen's Land. His wife Mary is forced to return...