TORN -SYNOPSIS

Ben Field’s world is increasingly fragile. The recent death of his ‘brother’, breakdown of his marriage and his wife’s declaration that William is not his son, sends him spiralling into morbid depression. He comes across an old school photograph. Identifying faces, triggers memories he’s tried to suppress. Slugging down a handful of pills with alcohol, slipping into an unconsciousness state, images form, the years fall away and his life begins to unravel..

The racist bullies, Selby Smith and Vittorio Capilano (Cappy) come to mind. The bloody nose he gave the pair, remains vivid and raw. Too long he and Nigerian born Roxanne Mabula, suffered in silence at the hands of these bastards, to prevent her parents taking her away.

Ben’s father died when he was five. He grew up on his grandpa’s farm, has a passion for horses and is an accomplished rider. His relationship with his grandfather couldn’t be closer, but the same could not be said of his mother. Not until the day she allows Ben access to his father’s life, the opportunity to meet the boy for whom his father died, will mother and son build the bond they crave.

The beautiful Eloise Maye arrives at Barnstone Manor. She tends Ben’s wounds after the fight. Alone with Ben in the school common room, she lures him with her kaleidoscope eyes and medicinal smile. He experiences the passion of her lips, in a kiss that tells him all he needs to know, but continues to deny. Eloise will never love anyone but Ben and she believes he loves her too. Ben insists he loves Roxanne, and needing to atone for his indiscretion, asks her to marry him. They celebrate in secret, but when Ben discovers she’s returning to live in Nigeria, he feels betrayed. They make up, spend a night together. Roxanne says she’ll return when she’s eighteen and Ben promises to wait.

Eloise invites Ben to a party. She lives in a mansion, step father a merchant banker, mother an alcoholic. He agrees to attends as a friend. He gets drunk and wakes naked and alone in Eloise’s bed. Embarrassed, their friendship suffer’s but when he learns Eloise is off to Finishing School in Switzerland, he feels the need to say goodbye. Returning her peck on the cheek with a passionate embrace, reinforces Eloise’s perception of their relationship, but Ben’s in emotional meltdown.

Ben’s ambushed and left beaten and naked in the school changing rooms by Cappy and a silent accomplice wearing a woolly hat. After a spell in hospital, a further violent assault by the same duo, in public toilets, triggers a dark, depressive mood. Ben contemplates hanging himself in the barn, but the act is interrupted by his grandpa. Stories of hardship and sacrifice in the Great War, learning that his grandpa had a brother who died in the trenches, brings a change in perspective.

Ben befriends a stranger taking refuge in the barn. He calls himself Tod. He’s been beaten by his parents and Ben offers him sanctuary. Ben enjoys having Tod around. His presence is kept secret, as is his true identity until Cappy shows up. Ben is devastated to discover that Tod was Cappy’s accomplice, when the bastard beat him senseless. Tod defends Ben, Cappy is defeated, but their friendship is in jeopardy. Tod, full of remorse, leaves for Ireland, despite Ben’s change of heart and request that he stay. He’s arrested at the port in connection with the two assaults, but is later released, when Ben fails to pick him out in an identify parade.

Cappy’s body is found in the harbour. Tod returns to the Barn covered in his blood, claiming it was an act of self defence. Ben destroys the evidence, providing Tod with clean clothes and an alibi. Tod goes missing. Ben discovers him savagely beaten and dumped for dead on a railway line. In fear of the Capilano mob he later absconds from hospital. Tracking him in an abandoned fishing hut, Ben takes him home to Merryfields. Tod’s not appreciative, Ben gives him money, tells him to go, if that’s what he wants, but lured by Ben’s offer and friendship, he stays.

Tod and Ben become inseparable, consider themselves more like brothers than friends. Ben secures Tod a place at his college to study art. He’s exceptionally talented and his passion for painting nudes, earns him considerable acclaim.

Tod fails to return home after a party. Ben finds him chained and close to death in his parent’s house. He spends weeks in a coma, Ben never far away. He awakes, but suffering memory loss, is abducted by his mother, taken to London, where she attempts to withdraw money from his savings account. Digger, Tod’s street guardian, arrives to assist with the search. Tod is eventually found imprisoned in a cellar with Jenny, a six year old girl, for whom he develops genuine affection.

Paddy, Tod’s biological father, arrives at Merryfields. Tod, plans to live with him in Ireland. All is set, taxi is waiting, when Tod, finds Ben’s journal in the barn. Rediscovering his past, the part Ben’s played in his life, has him change his mind. They return to college, Tod has an affair with his art teacher, Kate Milford and develops an insatiable appetite for women.

Tod saves Ben from drowning in the cove, insisting he must learn to swim. They spend the hot summer of 1976 on the beach with college mates. Depressed, as all his letters to Roxanne have been returned, numb with alcohol, Ben loses his virginity in a beach hut to a girl who’s name he doesn’t even know. Ashamed, he returns home. Tod convinces him Roxanne’s a fantasy - never coming back. Ben returns to the beach to indulge in a summer of sun, sand and sex.

Eloise, Miss UK, the face of Vogue, turns up at the farm. Ben is pleased to see her, but reserves his affection. She makes her feelings known, but Ben, ashamed of his sexual promiscuity, thinks she’s too good for him. He confesses all, but not interested in past indiscretion, Eloise says if he wants to know how much she loves him, whether she truly forgives him, then he must kiss her. Liberated from a notion in his mind regarding Roxanne, he finally accepts the fact that Eloise has always been the true love of his life. Eloise has a busy schedule. They keep in touch and when she returns, some months later, they spend the day at the river, ending up at Lulworth to watch the sun set. All night on the beach, warmed by a small fire, Ben discovers what happened at her party. They make love. It’s Eloise’s first time. Ben asks her to marry him, she accepts and he plans to live with her in Switzerland. After a passionate week, followed by infrequent visits and much talk on the phone, Eloise writes to break off their engagement. Ben is distraught, more so when she refuses all contact and nine months later gives birth to his son.


Tod finds grandpa dead in a chair. Though silently suffering a malignant brain tumour, he helps Ben overcome his grief and ensure that they give him the send off he deserved. Funeral over, a box left specifically for them, holds clues to their grandpa’s past. They solve the clues, find their grandpa’s secret place and learn how his brother, Jack, died in the First World War. Road building on the old battlefields uncovers war graves and Jack’s remains are repatriated to be buried next to his brother.

Ben and Tod come across Selby Smith and a group of bikers outside a pub. Tod, fights with him. Smith pulls a knife, but Tod turns it on him with fatal consequences. Recovering in hospital, Tod is forced to tell Ben about his tumour. He has an operation and for a while life returns to normal. Ben, qualifies as a teacher and accepts a job at Barnstone Manor. Tod has a studio at Green Acres and accumulates a small fortune from sales, after much T.V and radio publicity.

Six years after Roxanne left, Ben spies her at a night club. She ignores him, but he gets into her taxi and takes her back to Merryfields. She’s disgusted by his exploits at the beach. His apology comes too late - she’s getting married the next day. Scared of the thunder, she’s offered a bed in the spare room. She accepts, but later climbs into to Ben’s bed to seduce him. By morning she’s gone, leaving the pressed yellow rose, he gave her the day she left. Believing it’s a sign that she loves him, he rides to the church, against Tod’s advice. The ceremony is aborted, she leaves with her knight to live at Merryfields. Roxanne gets pregnant, they marry, but it proves to be no fairy tale. Roxanne wants a daughter and when William is born, their relationship deteriorates. Tod and Roxanne have a fierce argument. He moves out until Roxanne leaves to live with her mother.

Attending Tod’s hospital appointment, Ben learns the tumour is back and Tod has less than twelve months to live. He can’t handle it, but Tod is determined they will live for every day. They do all the things they want to do. Ben quits his job and Tod supposedly spends two weeks with his father. He paints Ben’s room to depict the story of their life together, tells him he has a son and asks that he be a father to him. Tod’s death has Ben searching for him at the cove. Digger finds Ben walking into deep water, and reminds him he has a son to live for. A few weeks after the funeral, Roxanne snatches William, alleging he’s not Ben’s son. He suffers a breakdown - falls into an unconscious state on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, thus bringing the story full circle.

Home from hospital, Roxanne phones to say sorry and that she is bringing William back to Merryfields. The photo of a baby is dropped through the door with a note saying the caller will call the following day at 2pm. Ben's expecting Kate Milford but Eloise knocks on the door. He’s not made the connection and is shocked to learn that Tod is the father of her son. She explains that Tod was supposed to paint her portrait. When she arrived, he’d just discovered he had a tumour - they got drunk and made a mistake, they deeply regretted. Ben can’t accept it. Eloise goes to leave, but Ben can’t let her go. Turning back, she asks Ben if he will ever be able to love or forgive her? Ben, vividly recalling what Eloise once told him, says, - ‘Kiss me, Ellie. Just kiss me...’