Summary
Set within the tactile, soot-stained periphery of Victorian domesticity, the narrative unfurls as a delicate tapestry of benevolent deception and moral fortitude. At its heart lies Caleb Plummer, a toy-maker of modest means who constructs an elaborate, phantasmagorical reality for his blind daughter, Bertha, shielding her from their crushing poverty through a 'pious fraud.' This fragile equilibrium is disrupted by the return of Caleb’s long-lost son, Edward, who arrives in disguise to witness the impending nuptials of his beloved May Fielding to a miserly rival. Amidst this emotional labyrinth, the Peerybingle household—comprised of the sturdy John and his vivacious wife, Dot—becomes the sanctuary for a 'lucky' cricket whose chirping serves as a metaphysical rhythmic pulse for the film's unfolding drama. The stakes escalate from the intimate to the existential as a looming mortgage threatens their shelter, culminating in a harrowing conflagration that tests the characters' resilience and the efficacy of their superstitions.
Synopsis
Tells of Caleb Plummer, his son Edward and blind daughter Bertha, and rivalry over neighbor May Fielding. May's friend Dot weds John Peerybingle; they find a lucky cricket in their cottage. A mortgage and house on fire figure in the story.
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