Sally, as her father called her when he was alive, receives a mysterious note that throws suspicion on her father's accidental death. Pursuing this information, she soon will find herself discovering her past and unraveling a dream she had since childhood. In this pursuit, she makes many new friends and some deadly enemies. First encounter is Mr. Higgs; soon to become dead as mutton.
Matt Smith who plays Jim Taylor Narrates much of the movie.
Based on a novel by Bill Pullman (author of "The Golden Compass") you can see the Pullman pattern in the story. Pullman always has strong-willed women. Adrian Hodges wrote the screenplay and kept the essentials while making it more palatable as a film. Many people watched the BBC production because Sally (Veronica Lockhart) is well played by Billie Piper of "Dr. Who" fame. Yet all of the other actors most pretty well known in their rights helped make this an excellent presentation; another well-known actor Julie Walters who played Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter film series makes a spooky antagonist as the amoral Mrs. Holland.
Strang what you remember and forget so I had to watch it again nearly two decades later.