The Drover’s WiFe

The Legend of Molly Johnson

 Snowy Mountains of the Alpine Country. On an isolated property, heavily pregnant Molly Johnson and her children struggle to survive the elements, hunger and a wild bullock. Over the range another lone woman and her children have been murdered. Is it the swagman who visits Molly? Or the run-away black, Yadaka, who helps Molly with the birth and burial of her stillborn baby, forms a bond with her son Danny and with Molly herself, helping her to understand her true identity? New town law-maker Sergeant Nate Clintoff learns Molly’s drover husband is missing and he sends his assistant, Trooper Leslie to investigate, triggering a chain of events that culminate in the murder of Yadaka, the brutalising of Molly and Molly’s decision to return to town to reclaim her children. The Drover’s Wife is a reimagining of Leah Purcell’s acclaimed play and Henry Lawson’s classic short story. A searing Australian revenge Western with love, family, protection, survival, truth, misogyny and racism at its heart, it asks the question: how far do you go to protect the ones you love?