Director:
Giles Foster

Cast:
Senta Berger, Tom Conti, Michael York, Frank Finlay, Paula Kalenberg, Franco Nero, Juliet Mills, Max von Pufendorf

Romance/Drama, Germany/UK, 2009, 4 x 90'
Language: English (OV)

SUMMER - Part 1

Endellion! Crown of Cornwall's rugged coast, the magnificent country estate is home to the Combes – a noble family with more than one secret lurking behind its ancient walls. Patriarch Alex reigns over the estate with a laissez-faire mildness that infuriates his eldest son Stephen, a high-powered financier, but perfectly suits his younger, more relaxed son Charles. After many years of unruffled tranquility, life at Endellion is about to enter a turbulent new phase. Julia Combe, Stephen's ex-wife and the family outcast, loses Max, her great love, in an airplane crash. Before his death, he had urged her to make peace with her family: "We all need to face our past. So we can get on with our future." The time has come, and Julia braces herself for her return to Endellion...

Years ago, Julia had been forced to leave Endellion – and her teenage daughter Charlotte – as the result of a scandal orchestrated by Stephen. Shortly thereafter, Charlotte gave birth to a girl, Abby, and then took her life, without revealing the identity of Abby's father. All contact between Julia and the Combes was severed. But Julia has never forgiven herself for not having been able to help her daughter. It is Abby, however, who takes the first steps toward Julia. The lively, independent-minded young woman wants to clear up the mystery of her past. It is the hesitant beginning of a rapprochement of the two women, who will both have to cope with the diabolical intrigues of Stephen – and with their own budding romances in the halls and parks of Endellion...

AUTUMN - Part 2

As the leaves in Endellion's lush park begin to fall, so do the barriers between Julia and her granddaughter Abby, as well as between Julia and Charles. The gentle Charles proves to be a knight in shining armor for Julia when Stephen tries to banish her from her cottage on the Endellion property. Standing up to his brother, he fights for Julia – and acknowledges his feelings for her. Though fearing negative reactions from the family, Julia reciprocates his love. Stephen is incensed and, after repudiating his brother, forces his granddaughter Abby to choose between him and Julia. Having previously rejected his offer of a trust fund, she now breaks for good with her grandfather. Her troubles are far from over, however, since she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the girlfriend of Tom, the handsome, dashing stud farm manager. Their plight brings them together, closer than either wants to admit at first... Meanwhile, Julia finds a clue hinting at the possibility that her daughter Charlotte – Abby's mother – might still be alive! Resolved to leave no stone unturned, Julia begins to investigate into Charlotte's disappearance one winter, long ago...


WINTER - Part 3

Endellion rejoices at the news that Abby has accepted Tom's marriage proposal. Yet as the two lovers move in together, Abby stifles the feeling that things are going too fast… For Julia, however, things can't go fast enough after she becomes convinced that a London pianist is actually her daughter Charlotte. Determined to find out for sure, she rushes off to the pianist's next concert and suddenly finds herself standing face to face with her daughter. Charlotte tearfully tells her mother of the despair that drove her to feign her suicide and start a new life. And she confesses that she never forgave herself for having abandoned her daughter Abby. The tension is palpable as Julia takes her to Abby, who greets her mother with a mixture of elation, rebuke and forgiveness. Charlotte's return to the family fold on Christmas is a gift no one could expect. Yet Stephen again cannot find the way to his daughter's heart, and she, too, cannot forgive him for having nearly driven her to commit suicide. As the emotional turmoil takes its toll on Abby, she begs Tom to postpone their wedding. Accompanying Charlotte to London for a few days, Abby meets her mother's fickle lover Simon who, unaware of Abby's identity, begins flirting with her. But there is no time to clear up matters: Charlotte and Abby are needed at Endellion, where Alex, the family patriarch, has just passed away.

SPRING - Part 4

At Endellion, war breaks out between the brothers Charles and Stephen after Stephen learns that his father has left Endellion to Charles instead of to him, the eldest son. Stephen plans to contest the will, even if it financially ruins Charles and the estate. Charlotte, meanwhile, has become pregnant with Simon's child. Surprisingly, the notoriously unfaithful Simon seems delighted at the prospect of becoming a father, and promises to give up his roving ways. His resolve wavers, however, when he finds himself alone with Abby one night and tries to force himself upon her… Darkness seems to fall on Endellion: Stephen, furious and hurt that his father cut him out of his inheritance, begins to lose control of himself and suffers a nervous breakdown; and Tom suspects that Abby doesn't want to marry him after all. Abby finally tells her mother about Simon's advances, and Charlotte, after initially doubting her daughter, chases Simon out of her life for good. Recovering from his breakdown, Stephen realizes what a fool he has been and begs his brother Charles, his ex-wife Julia and, above all, Charlotte, for forgiveness. Abby overcomes her doubts about married life, and soon the wedding bells are pealing as Endellion finds peace and happiness once again…