The Shell Seekers

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SYNOPSIS

Penelope Keeling, the resilient 64-year-old daughter of famed artist Lawrence Sterne, has had a full life.  The year is 1982 and, after suffering a mild heart attack, Penelope promptly checks herself out of the hospital and begins to reassess her life by reflecting on the choices that defined it – giving her the chance to try to rebuild her fractured family in the process.   

Although Penelope’s hasty World War II marriage turned out to be loveless and ended in divorce, it produced three children who have brought Penelope love and happiness – as well as frustration and sorrow – over the years.  All three react very differently to her health crisis.  The eldest, Nancy, wants her to enlist a live-in companion or housekeeper.  Her second daughter, Olivia, who Nancy is clearly envious of in every way, wants her mother to come to Ibiza, Spain to stay with her and her boyfriend, Cosmo, for some family bonding and recovery time.  Her only son, Noel, a charmer, who uses that power quite ruthlessly to get his own way, is extremely self-absorbed and more concerned with how much his grandfather’s paintings are worth rather than how his mother is feeling.

Penelope decides to visit Olivia in Ibiza. She meets the charming Cosmo and Cosmo’s 18-year-old daughter, Antonia, with whom she develops a very close bond during the time she is there, sharing the wisdom of her remarkable life.  Shortly after Penelope returns home to England, Cosmo is killed in a boating accident. Antonia, who has no other family, comes to stay with Penelope at her beloved home, Podmore Thatch.

Nancy and Noel are continuing to pressure Penelope to sell a couple of their grandfather’s works – two unfinished panels that hang in her home and the famed painting The Shell Seekers, which features Penelope as a little girl on the beach in Cornwall, England, and was given to her by her father as a wedding gift.  It is an intensely personal painting and Penelope is appalled that her children (two of them at least) are pressuring her to sell.  Noel is even pressing her about trying to find the rough oil sketches that their grandfather might have left behind of his work.  This is deepening the fracture in the already tenuous relationship she has with Nancy and Noel.

Meanwhile, Penelope begins to open up to Antonia about her entire life.  Her time served as a WREN (Women’s Royal Navy Service), how she met her husband, Ambrose, a Sub Lieutenant in the Navy, why their ultimately loveless marriage didn’t work (they married because she was pregnant with Nancy) and meeting the man who would be the only man that Penelope ever truly loved. His name was Major Richard Lomax and he was a British Marine Commando.  They met in Cornwall when Penelope was staying with her father during the war and they fell madly in love.  They dreamed of a life together, until the day Richard’s Commanding Officer arrived on Penelope’s doorstep and told her that he had been killed on D-Day at Omaha Beach.  Penelope shares with Antonia her desire to return to Cornwall, as those days were some of the best memories of her life, from childhood onward.

Back in the present day at Podmore Thatch, a handsome young man named Danus Muirfield shows up at Penelope’s, inquiring about her garden, which is her passion.  Seems he is a horticulture student and they strike a deal for him to temporarily help her out with the gardening.  He and Antonia quickly take a fancy to each other.

Penelope decides to have her father’s artwork appraised for herself after all, including all the rough oil sketches that she has hidden in the back of her wardrobe (so her ex-husband could not sell them off to pay his gambling debts).  She sells the panels and has an inspiration about what to do with The Shell Seekers.

When Penelope shares her desire to revisit Cornwall with her children, they all have various excuses why they can’t join her, but Antonia and Danus (who have become like family to her) jump at the chance.  The trip is every bit as restoring for Penelope’s soul as she knew it would be.  As for her inspiration about The Shell Seekers?  She has decided to donate it to the local gallery in town – it’s the gallery her father founded and she feels like she has now given the painting back to her father.  When Nancy gets wind of what has happened, she drives to Cornwall in a rage and confronts her mother, caring only about the loss of the inheritance.  A terrible argument ensues.  As usual, Antonia and Danus are there to comfort her.

Later that day, Danus tells Penelope that he is returning home to Scotland.  Although he and Antonia have fallen in love and want to get married, he was wounded in the Falklands war when a piece of shrapnel was lodged in the top of his spine and the operation could leave him a paraplegic – yet if he doesn’t have the surgery and the shrapnel gets moved or disturbed in any way, he will also be paralyzed.   Danus is afraid to take the risk because Antonia deserves more, even though she loves him no matter what.  Antonia is heartbroken, but powerless to stop him from leaving.

Once back at Podmore Thatch, Noel also angrily confronts his mother about her decision regarding The Shell Seekers.  It’s a very distressing conversation.  Olivia is the only one of her children who seems supportive of her decisions and Penelope goes to bed that evening deeply troubled, finding it hard to sleep. Fittingly, there is a raging storm outside.

The next morning, the storm has broken and it’s a beautiful day.  Penelope arises, walks outside into her beloved garden and picks an apple off one of the trees.  Suddenly, she sees something in the distance and waves.  We see a tall, handsome man in uniform.  Penelope runs toward him…it’s Richard.  He has come to take her home.

Antonia come downstairs a little while later, sees Penelope sitting in the garden and thinks she is sleeping.  When she gets closer, she realizes Penelope has passed away and begins to weep. 

The children have all gathered at Podmore Thatch for the reading of Penelope’s will.  They are left the estate, the house, its contents, stock portfolio, etc., approximately $250,000 pounds each before taxes, or as her son quite inappropriately says “not a bad haul.”  Penelope leaves Antonia $10,000 pounds and some jewelry and to Danus, she leaves the 14 rough oil sketches and works by her late father so he can make his dream come true and start his own horticulture business.  Noel and Nancy are furious and threaten to contest the will…until Olivia steps in and with unbelievable conviction, informs them that they will do no such thing.  Noel and Nancy decide not to argue with her.

Danus is not present for the reading of the will, but the lawyer has written to him.  Just as Olivia is trying to convince Antonia to call him, Danus appears in the doorway behind her.  He has decided to have the operation, but tells Antonia that he needs her to be with him because only then will everything be all right.  Antonia agrees and they kiss and embrace lovingly.  Somehow, we know that Penelope is looking down from above with a lovely smile on her face.

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