In a town called Hope on the edge of Britain's empire, desperations clash: the beautiful Dorothea Brook is desperate to free her pregnant sister Rose from the clutches of Fraser, a fortune hunter. A local politician, William Poyner, is desperate for cash and thinks marriage to Dorothea will save him. Dorothea hires Lawrence Hayes, a rough but handsome Argonaut, to bribe Fraser with jewels and to marry Rose; Hayes desperately loves Dorothea and may marry Rose to stay close to her. But Dorothea has a lover, the ravishing Anne Cooper, who encourages the match with Poyser to give the lovers cover. Are these remedies, each desperate in its turn, going to make anyone happy?
Jennifer Ward-Lealand
as Dorothea Brook
Kevin Smith
as Lawrence Hayes
Lisa Chappell
as Anne Cooper
Cliff Curtis
as Fraser
Michael Hurst
as Willam Poyser
Helen Steemson
as Gnits
Kiri Mills
as Rose
Bridget Armstrong
as Mary Anne
Timothy Raby
as Mr. Weedle
Geeling Ng
as Su Lim
