The Tree

Dawn O'Neill leads a happy family life on a farm in the Australian outback. When her beloved husband Peter dies, the young mother is left alone with her four children. After anger and grief over this stroke of fate, she falls into a deep lethargy. She finds new courage in eight-year-old Simone's belief that her father's spirit lives on in the huge fig tree that towers over their house like a protector. When there is a light breeze, the girl hears her daddy speaking to her through the whispering leaves. Simone's comforting belief in his presence also helps her siblings to cope better with their terrible loss. Things finally start to look up for Dawn when she starts an office job with local plumber George. The personal interest shown by her good-natured boss also does her good after many nights spent crying. Meanwhile, the tree develops a strange life of its own: it attacks the foundations of the house, clogs water pipes, and even invades Dawn's bedroom with its branches. The spiritual comforter increasingly becomes a threat. When George wants to cut down the tree, the family faces a difficult decision.