In the 1920s, a young woman comes to the Canadian prairies as a schoolteacher and enters the lives of a dsyfunctional farming family, ruled over by a controlling and cruel patriarch. Caleb Gare is the wealthiest farmer in the district who is obsessed with acquiring land. In spite of his wealth, he keeps his wife and their children in near poverty. Caleb tyranically treats his family like slaves, forcing them to live a harsh life. The only person capable of standing up to Caleb is his long-suffering wife, who has long been cowed into quiet desperation. When the enigmatic new schoolteacher comes to live with them, Caleb finds the strangehold he's always had on his family coming to an abrupt yet certain end.

This made-for-TV drama is a Canadian production, based on Martha Osteno's 1927 novel, "Wild Geese" When it was first broadcast in Canada on March 4, 2001, it used the novel title but when it was sold to the Lifetime channel, the title was changed. Filmed in Calgary during the summer of 2000, the production used an entirely Canadian cast and director except for Shepard.

Because of the period in which the film is set, the interiors had to appear as if they were lit by gas lamps. To achieve that effect, cinematographer Gregory Middleton employed a combination of Japanese lanterns and a China ball among other tools. Lighting in the outdoor scenes was subdued as well, all with unfortunate results.

"Kudos to a fantastic director and cast, and an excellent story. The shots are beautiful, and the acting superb. Thank you Sam Shepard for playing the role so brilliantly and thank-you to the cast for portraying a world which might not have been familiar to them but is so familiar to many families where the patriarch is the person to be least trusted."

"Sam Shepard always turns in a superior performance, yet does so without overwhelming the story. I'll watch any movie he's ever made. Alberta Watson, however, was why I purchased the movie and her performance in this film was everything I expected. Nadia Litz did a knockout job as Jude, ditto Liane Balaban as Lind. Every character in the cast was perfectly chosen; there's not a false note or misstep anywhere in the film."

"What a near perfect film this is. The plot and the performances are understated but gripping and underlaid with lurking menace."

"Sam Shepard gives an excellent performance portraying a complex and domineering man who completely controls his wife and four children."