Bangkok Hilton

Episode 1

Part 1

90 mins

After being imprisoned by the Japanese, Hal Stanton (Denholm Elliot) returned to England in 1946 to face a court martial. He was denounced as a traitor by the British and cashiered. Disgraced, he tried to escape his past by living abroad under various assumed names, eventually settling in Australia where he now works as a lawyer under the name Graeme Greene. Presented with new clients one day - a wealthy family named Faulkner - he falls in love with their daughter Catherine (Judy Morris). As part of their brief affair he spends Christmas at their luxurious and isolated country mansion "Guardbridge." Shortly after, a newspaper story about the death of his father - a war hero - reveals that Graeme Greene is actually the disgraced Hal Stanton, the hero's son. He is forced to resign from the law firm because of his deception but, worse, Lady Faulkner (Gerda Nicolson) will not allow him to see or speak further with Catherine. Hal drives out to Guardbridge to see her but she has already been sent away by her parents. He mistakenly believes she has spurned him and they never meet again. Catherine discovers she is pregnant. The child, Katrina, is raised at Guardbridge by her mother and grandmother and is told that her father is dead. Years pass and by the age of twenty Kat (Nicole Kidman) is a somewhat awkward and solitary young woman suffering from asthma. Catherine, knowing she has cancer, appoints George McNair, the family lawyer, as her daughter's trustee. A kindly man, he recognises Kat's artistic talents. Going through her mother's things after she dies, Kat finds Catherine's journal which tells of her affair with "Graeme." She confronts the longtime housekeeper Mrs. Cameron but learns nothing. Kat then visits McNair at his law firm, which happens to be where Graeme/Hal had formerly worked. McNair tells Kat her family had spurned him as a "con man." Kat finally learns his real name was Hal Stanton and that other members of the family reside in London. McNair advises her to go and visit them for her own peace of mind, but not to expect a warm reception. In London Katrina meets James Stanton (Lewis Fiander) who bitterly denounces his brother Hal and refuses to tell her anything of his whereabouts. Discouraged, she decides to fly back to Australia as soon as possible, however at the ticket agent's she learns all flights are booked for the next several days. A young man offers her his seat on a flight in two days' time. Arki Ragan (Jerome Ehlers) befriends the shy young woman, telling her he is a freelance photographer based in London. She tells him she is looking for a relative who was once a soldier. He offers to help and together they visit the war records office where she reads about the circumstances of Hal's 1946 court martial. She also learns Hal was born in Bangkok and she believes he may now be living there again. She sees James Stanton again. After some hesitation he confirms that Hal does reside there. Arki offers to accompany her to Bangkok but since all flights there are booked he suggests they fly to India and then on to Thailand from there. Before they leave London he presents her with a gift - a camera and lenses in a metal attache case. On the Goa coast they share a hotel room and become lovers. Unknown to her, Arki places several bags of heroin in the false bottom of the camera case. They fly to Bangkok. Kat telephones a solicitor, Richard Carlisle (Hugo Weaving), the contact she has been given for getting in touch with her father. Carlisle visits Hal, now a wasted alcoholic, and tells him he has a daughter who wants to meet him. Hal, utterly convinced his life has been a failure, does not want to meet her and instructs Carlisle to tell Kat as much. Arkie suggests she fly home to Australia and perhaps Hal will change his mind in time. She accepts this idea and they go to the airport together. Arkie manages to avoid having the metal case X-rayed. They obtain boarding passes together but when Kat moves on to the immigration counter Arkie obtains a new boarding pass for himself. Meanwhile the camera case is picked out by a drug-sniffing dog. Customs officials take Kat away as Arkie boards the plane. Narcotics officers find the heroin in the false bottom of the case.