The Little Convict

An elderly artist narrates the tale at Luna Park, preparing to sell his paintings. He explains that the scenes are memories from his youth and that the stories behind the paintings are true. His granddaughter listens as the elder hints that the paintings conceal a real, action filled history.

The convict ship Northern Star sails into Sydney Cove with sixty-four convicts aboard. They are greeted by Lieutenant Governor Lindsay Lightfoot, who must manage the colony while the Governor is away. Polly is taken from the docks by Augusta to serve as cook and laundry maid.

At first light, Bully Langden reports to Colonel Lightfoot and selects five convicts to work on the Government farm: Big George, Jack, Dipper, Silly Billy, and Toby. The chosen men are marched off to begin their first day's hard labor. The other convicts remain under guard in the settlement.

Polly is separated from the rest and escorted to Augusta near the Governor's residence to begin kitchen duties. This removal foreshadows the personal stake the convicts will have in the colony's events. The scene underscores the strict social hierarchy of the settlement.

On the first day of labor the convicts endure the heat and meager rations. Weazel assigns bread and rough tools, while Toby struggles to keep up. Dipper collapses but is revived with water and shade, and Weazel threatens to shoot Jack, only to be stopped by Bully who orders him to join the hunt.

That night Dipper discovers a gentleman's watch with a music box, his sole possession. The music lulls the others to sleep, allowing Dipper to distract the guards with pebbles. He also finds an orphaned koala and gives it to Toby as a pet.

A tree falls on Dipper, mortally wounding him. In his final moments he passes the watch to Toby, asking him to keep it safe. Toby notices Jack gazing toward the Blue Mountains and overhears that Jack plans to escape.

The next morning George starts breaking tools to draw the guards' attention, enabling Jack to untether a horse and head toward the mountains. Bully lashes George and throws him into a punishment cell for his actions. The tension of an escape bubbles beneath the surface.

Toby decides to search the bush for Jack and is guided by Wahroonga, a young Aboriginal boy with a cockatoo and a dingo. Wahroonga watches over Toby, following him through the scrub and helping him hide from patrols. The two become allies as they move toward safety.

Near the edge of the convict settlement, Jack, Toby, Wahroonga, and the koala reunite and prepare to return to Sydney Town. They plan to distract the guards so they can reach Big George's cell and assist in the escape. The journey marks a turning point in their fight for survival.

Wahroonga triggers a distraction by sending the cockatoo toward the soldiers and letting the dingo menace the horses. Jack and Toby reach the guardhouse storehouse and find only barrels of rum and oil. They spill the oil and a lamp ignites it, setting the Governor's house on fire and trapping Polly and Augusta.

Polly and Augusta are rescued from the burning house as the convicts press their escape. Bully is found guilty of drunkenness on duty and jailed, while Lieutenant Governor Lightfoot awards full pardons and grants land to the men who saved his wife.

The elderly Toby finishes the tale as he opens the watch and hears its tune. He reveals his identity to his granddaughter and points her toward the nearby merry-go-round. The paintings she has been viewing seem to come alive around them.

On the merry-go-round, riders bear likenesses to the film's characters, linking the real history to the artist's paintings. The granddaughter accepts that the tale is a living memory of the past. The park atmosphere echoes the artist's memories come to life.