The film had a budget in excess of A$15 million, making it the largest-budget television mini-series produced in Australia.

She is also aided by another on board, a stiff-necked, moralistic British officer named Lt Ralph Clarke, whose wife abandons him just as the ships set sail.

During a rough night at sea Mary hits her head on a bar and is knocked unconscious only to be saved by Will, with whom she becomes increasingly passionate.

Mary, her husband Will, their two children, and five other men set sail for Timor, closely followed by Clarke who obsessively pursues them.

Through sheer grit and enormous luck, most of them make it 4,000 miles to the Dutch colony of Timor where for a time they enjoy their freedom under false identities.

Realising that she does not love him and only used him to survive, Clarke fires his pistol into the air, alerting nearby guards of their whereabouts, and Mary is arrested.

On arrival in England, Mary gains the support of the English public as she tells her story of her search for justice, and the loss of her entire family.

The court decide to free Mary and her companions in appreciation of their honesty and the belief that they have learnt their lesson.