In the Australian bush at the close of the nineteenth century, Captain Woolcot runs his household like a regiment: rules posted on the wall,bedtime at precise hours, and not a moment for mischief. But seven children are seven mutinies waiting to happen. Led by Judy, the irrepressible youngest with red hair and a talent for chaos, the Woolcot siblings wage gentle warfare against their father's inflexible discipline. When Judy's latest transgression earns her a sentence to boarding school, the household descends into quiet devastation. Esther, the young stepmother who loves the children despite her impossible position, pleads for mercy. The Captain remains unmoved. What follows is a tender, often funny portrait of a family navigating love, resentment, and the impossible task of growing up under the shadow of grief and stricture. Turner captures something timeless about the battle between childhood's wildness and adulthood's demands, set against the sun-drenched particularity of the Australian bush.
