What is that?
It's that famous picture of the monster.
But it's fake.
How do you know it's fake? It looks real.
Oh, it's fake all right.
Of course it's fake, everyone knows that.
Wait now, son. There's more to that photo than meets the eye.
- Oh, really? - If you'd like to know the real truth....
Yeah. I wanna know.
- Come on. It'll be fun. - Come on.
Well, you have to go back to World War ll.
The Germans had captured the rest of Europe...
...and were only a hundred miles or so from these shores.
And you need to know about a young lad...
...called Angus MacMorrow.
The wee lad was drawn to water...
...but deathly afraid of it at the same time.
You know something, Angus?
The tide pool is a very strange, enchanted place.
See these wee beauties?
Now, they are full of luck and magic.
- No! - Aye, Angus.
- You best believe it. - Can I keep it, Daddy?
Aye. But don't tell your Mummy.
She believes things should stay where they are.
Angus.
Angus MacMorrow, what in heaven's name?
- Sorry. I'm coming. - Indeed you are.
I thought you'd drowned.
You didn't even get wet.
That piece. Please.
- Thank you. - Cheerio.
See you, Archie.
I'd say it's going to rain, Mrs. MacMorrow.
Think you might be right, Mr. McCowan.
Would you remind me to tell Clyde to move the cattle to the lower field?
I'll just put my pail in the workshop.
Well, be quick. You have to help with the tea.
- Clyde. - Aye.
Can we move the cattle down to the lower field?
Oh, aye. I have got nothing better to do.
Mummy. Look what I've got.
- Where'd you get that? - Every volunteer got four oranges.
I haven't had an orange in Lord knows how long.
How was the shore? Did Angus have fun?
Angus, fun?
Angus! Come on in now.
You told me you'd help with the tea.
All the Malay Peninsula has been overrun.
We are struggling hard in the Libyan Desert...
...where perhaps another serious battle will be soon fought.
The whole future of mankind...
...may depend upon our actions and upon our conduct.
So far we have not failed. We shall not fail now.
Let us move forward steadfastly together....
Jings.
It's all right. There, there.
Here you go. Come on.
That's it.
Come on. Come on.
That's it.
All right, then.
That's a good boy.
It's all right.
Oh, no.
There you are.
It's all right. I'll take care of you.
Angus.
Angus? Angus, it's bedtime.
How many times do I have to call you?
Crikey.
Get a move on!
What is it?
Maybe Daddy's with them.
Pull up, lads.
- Do you know anything about this? - No.
- They've got to be here for a reason. - I don't know.
Excuse me, sir.
Good morning, madam.
Captain Thomas Hamilton, 12 Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery.
Are we all set?
The housekeeper, Mrs. MacMorrow, is making all the arrangements.
- She is? - Yes. Is she around?
I'm Anne MacMorrow.
Oh, I beg your pardon.
Clearly, HQ have failed to notify you. My troop is to be billeted here.
What with?
I've hardly any staff.
When Lord Killin went off to the RAF, only a few of us stayed on here.
Well, we won't expect afternoon tea.
No, only the officers will be billeted inside the house.
The rest of my men will camp outside.
Well, I'm afraid I really would need Lord Killin's permission.
Of course.
- Wormsley? - Yes, sir.
From Lord Killin. We're friends, actually. At Oxford the same year.
All right.
But I have to tell you, our cupboards are not exactly full these days.
Not to worry. The War Office keeps us well-supplied.
And what's more, we have a number of keen hunters in our regiment.
They are trained killers, after all.
You see, Scotland is the front line in the war these days.
- Sir. - Good man.
Nazi submarines are everywhere.
Here we are.
Splendid. Yes.
Well, how lovely.
Now all this, you see, is for your own protection.
- Goldman? - Well, we're very grateful.
Is this the German advance?
Following the troop movements, are you?
Don't you worry, son. We're ready for them.
- Now, you men, come with me. - Sir.
Can you put my desk over here?
Kirstie, Angus, run along.
We don't want to distract our guests from their duties.
Can you keep a secret?
Isn't this exciting? Soldiers right here in our home.
- Promise me you can keep a secret. - What are you babbling about?
- You have to swear not to tell Mummy. - I'll not breathe a word. What is it?
I don't know.
Hey! Those are my daddy's boots. Let go.
Bad boy. You can't eat them.
But I suppose you are hungry.
What's that? Churchill.
That's enough, Churchill.
- Who are you? - Sergeant Wallace Strunk.
Twelve Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery. First battery cook.
Churchill, regiment mascot.
- Unauthorized personnel. - I just wanted a wee snack.
Provisions dispensed only by written orders in triplicate.
Do you have the paperwork?
Then off you go.
Who's Daddy's boy, then, eh? Good boy. Good Churchill.
- You're still here? - I take out the rubbish.
On the double, then.
Who's the best little soldier in the regiment, then? It's my Churchill.
Good boy. Give me a kiss. Give me another kiss.
Hello?
Where are you, boy?
Where are you hiding?
You are a sneaky devil, aren't you, boy?
If you are a boy.
What can we call you?
Crusoe. Trapped on an island.
Right, then, Crusoe. Let's see what you are.
No.
There you are.
Maybe you're a mammal.
Where were you born, Daddy?
I was born and brought up on the banks of Loch Morar.
People whispered about a beastie living in that very loch.
Now, always there've been tales of sightings of such a creature...
...sometimes at sea, but more often in a loch.
When I was a boy...
...how I longed to see that monster.
When I was a boy...
...terrible times they were.
Boys and girls, wives and mothers all over the world...
...left without the man of the house.
They all went off to war, and many never came back.
We're a tiny village in the wilds of Scotland...
...but 20 men we lost.
But maybe I'm boring you with my story.
No. No, please. Don't stop.
Okay, if you insist.
Angus was just like every other wee boy.
He wanted his daddy home again.
But he also had another problem.
Crusoe, you ate it all. Come out. You'll be sick.
That's a good boy. I'm sorry for grabbing.
You're all dried up.
You'll like this.
That's better, eh?
- Look at that. - Oh, yeah.
Go in there. Oh, another five-pounder.
Oh, you beauty.
- Aye. - That takes care of my lunch.
What are they doing up on that hill?
It's a secret mission. They're after submarines.
Well, if it's secret, how do you know about it?
- I have my ways, my contacts. - Aye.
Well, make contact with them oars. Pull us over some more fish.
Right. Salute.
Down.
Map, sir?
- Perfect. - It's an amazing view, sir.
HMS Royal Oak was lost to a German U-boat in Scapa Flow...
...not a hundred miles from this spot.
Eight hundred and thirty-three sailors lost.
We're not here for the scenery, Wormsley.
Yes, sir.
Now, make no mistake...
...we are on the front line here.
Now, I have studied the German advance.
If they invade, they will come right through here.
This is the deepest loch in Scotland, perfect for their troopships.
But they will send submarines first for reconnaissance.
Won't the steel net stop them, sir?
The submarine net will be down...
...to permit passage by routine marine traffic...
...and to let their subs in.
And then we will raise the net...
...and we will destroy them.
I wish I could swim like you. I wish I wasn't so afraid.
Come on! Stop!
What the hell you think you're doing?
- What's going on? - Keep your hands off!
You're not fit to touch it.
Oh, no.
I better go. Stay out of trouble.
Look where you're going.
Where'd you learn to drive, in the Dodgems?
Look, there's a rear-vision mirror. Know what that's for?
- That's to look where you're going. - It was an accident, I assure you.
All right, Clyde. That's enough.
That's a lovely bit of meat there.
Who's this?
There he goes.
Did you see all those jeeps and lorries going up and down the hill?
You're late.
And that is very hush-hush.
Aye. It's a secret mission, that's what I hear. Top secret.
I'll say one thing, Jimmy.
If it's a secret, you'd be the last person to tell about it.
- That's cruel. That's very cruel. - Aye.
- Evening. - All right.
- What'll you have? - Pint of McEwan's.
Looks like rain.
Yeah, it might.
You're not from the village. Would you be with the artillery?
Here we are, lads. Our home away from home.
Did you hear the captain today? "We're on the front lines."
Front line, my aunt.
We're here because his daddy put him as far away from danger...
...as the War Office could find.
You're the boys with the big gun up the loch.
- Indeed we are. - Would that thing sink a submarine?
With one shell.
- What are you having, lads? - Pint of heavy.
Yeah, I'll have a whiskey. What you got there?
Recock, fire.
Angus, we need to talk.
Mrs. MacMorrow?
- Who are you? - Me name's Lewis Mowbray.
Oh, yes. The handyman.
You're two days late in arriving.
Yes, ma'am.
I....
I was.... I....
Well, you can start by cleaning this mess.
You can pack up all these books and shells...
...and charts and so forth.
I want to empty this shop out. And...
...I think my son has an animal hidden in here somewhere.
He's not allowed pets, so....
- Do you think you could manage that? - Aye.
And we'll have no drinking in our house, Mr. Lewis.
Yes, ma'am. That's--
That's Mowbray, ma'am.
Yes.
Oh, no.
No! No, no! No!
What are you doing? Why did you empty the barrel?
- Did you see anything fall out of it? - Only water. What are you looking for?
Nothing. You'd remember if you'd seen it.
I didn't see anything.
Who are you?
Mrs. MacMorrow hired me to help her in the lodge.
So this'll be my workshop now.
I don't want you coming in and out of it. Understand?
This is my father's workshop. He's off fighting in the war.
- You can't just come in here-- - Lad!
When your father returns, he can do with it what he wants.
But for now, this shop is mine...
...and I want to be left alone. Am I clear?
Have I made myself clear?
Crusoe?
Crusoe, come out.
Where are you hiding?
Could I trouble you for a light?
Thank you.
Absolutely stunning countryside, isn't it?
You from around here?
I'm from Dornoch.
Captain Thomas Hamilton.
Good to meet you.
And yours?
Mowbray. Lewis Mowbray.
And you've seen service, I presume.
Crusoe, please come out.
Come out now.
Well, have a good evening, Mowbray.
Where are you? Where have you gone?
Crusoe, where the devil are you?
Sergeant Strunk!
Bad dog, Churchill.
Don't care if you're Lord Chamberlain, I won't have my kitchen destroyed.
Sorry, ma'am, I don't know what got into him.
Hush your wheesht, you daft dog!
Crusoe, no!
- Stop. Get back in there. - No. No, it's horrible.
- He won't hurt you. Believe me. - It's disgusting.
- He won't hurt you. - What is it?
I don't know, but it came from an egg. I tried to tell you.
Jings, Crusoe.
You're as big as a prize pig.
How'd you grow so fast?
I thought I'd lost you.
He's very friendly. Aren't you, boy?
Angus, Mummy will have a fit.
Don't you dare tell her. Kirstie, please.
He needs me. I'm his only friend.
I saved his life.
The poor wee thing.
You won't tell?
- Swear. - I don't swear, Angus MacMorrow.
I'll not speak a word.
You're a good sister after all.
Every 10 minutes....
Good morning, ma'am.
- Lovely morning, miss. - Morning.
- Oh, God. I'm sorry. - It's all right. Come in.
Come in.
You've done some very good work around the grounds, Mr. Lewis.
Thank you, ma'am. And it's Mowbray, ma'am.
Oh, yes.
Did you know the guest bathroom's been out of order for three days now?
I'll see to it immediately, ma'am.
I have some clothes. My husband's.
Well, you seem to be about the same size. Would you care for them?
Well, won't he need them when he comes home?
He's not coming home, Mr. Mowbray.
His ship was sunk at sea. It's been almost a year.
I'm sorry. Sorry.
It's just--
It's just that your son had said that....
Angus is a confused boy.
Confused?
Yes.
I have a lot to do. Do you want them or not?
Yes. Thank you.
Aye.
Thanks.
Did you have to turn him into a mummy?
It was getting too loud. Somebody would've heard.
Quiet, Crusoe!
Who's there?
I'm here to fix the bathroom.
- We're using it. - What, both of you?
But I thought it was out of order.
What's that noise?
I have a cough.
You got an animal in there?
Look, you better let me in or your mother will hear about this.
- No. - Let me in.
Listen, you two, all right? I have to do my job.
Your mother told me this bathroom has been out of order--
What-- What is that?
He came from an egg at the tide pool. His name's Crusoe.
What in the name of--?
He's very friendly.
Mary and Joseph.
- He almost died when he was born. - Almost took my hand off.
He thinks I'm his father.
I wonder....
- It just can't be. - Can't be what?
Well, it looks like a....
- Like a bloody water horse. - A what?
They're make-believe. A legend from the Celtic past.
They're said to be the rarest of all creatures.
There can be only one water horse in the world at a time.
When the one grows old, it lays a single egg, and then it dies.
- Crusoe's a girl? - No.
No, lad, he's girl and boy both.
The beast is both mum and dad to the egg.
The old water horse dies before the egg hatches...
...so the new water horse is born an orphan.
Oh, that's sad.
It's an amazing thing though, isn't it?
Angus! Kirstie!
Don't tell her. She'd make us get rid of it.
Angus?
Will you help us, Mr. Lewis?
You're asking me to deceive your mother.
Angus? Kirstie?
- What are you doing in there? - I was helping Mr. Lewis fix the pipes.
Since when have pipes been an interest of yours?
- Wait! It's a bad time to interrupt him. - What?
Plumbing is tricky. It's like surgery.
One mistake could mean death.
Mr. Lewis found the problem.
I can explain. He--
Always been handy with the plumbing.
He's a genius.
And you helped, did you, Angus?
Yes, I--
- I handed the tools. - And you, Kirstie?
No. I came to get Angus to show him the civil assistance manual.
It's getting a bit cramped in here, so off you go. Did a grand job, Angus.
Bye.
It's the pipes.
It's the air locks bubbling through, you see.
Angus was a great help.
So you said.
Oh, dear. Excuse me. That's--
The doctor warned me not to eat haggis for breakfast.
So it's something about the...
...texture of the innards mixed in with the suet that I just can't....
Thank you, thank you. You've explained that quite enough.
Shut your ugly gob. You bloody near got me sacked, you wee ingrate.
Captain, we'll have that bathroom up and running by tonight.
Oh, wonderful.
Would you allow me to organize a meal tomorrow evening?
As a token of our gratitude.
Just the officers and yourself, of course, as guest of honor.
Thank you very much. That'd be very nice.
Excellent. Shall we say 8:00?
What are we going to do?
One thing's sure, you need to get him out of the house.
- But where can I put him? - In the loch.
No! I want Crusoe to stay. He's mine!
But he can't spend his life in a toilet bowl.
- But he can stay with me. - Whatever the devil he is...
...he's meant to swim and be free.
The loch is loaded with salmon to eat...
...and there's plenty of water for him to grow and move around in.
- You want what's best for him? - What's best for him is to be with me.
Excuse me, sir. Mrs. MacMorrow.
Anyone for champagne?
- Thank you. - That was very good, sir.
It was brilliant tonight, with the last change from the--
Mrs. MacMorrow, you look radiant.
In Scotland we call that a fib, captain.
Let me introduce you.
I love to watch a man work.
- Go easy. - Don't we deserve it, eh?
Gentlemen.
The king, the regiment...
...and the lady of the house.
The king, the regiment and the lady of the house.
Well, gentlemen, technically speaking I'm not actually the lady of the house...
...but I suppose for tonight I'm happy enough to serve that role.
- Thank you. - She's charming.
Here you are. Look what I've got.
Don't be greedy now.
Angus, come quickly. I've something funny to show you.
I'll be back in a minute, Crusoe.
You're not going to believe this.
You're a fine woman, Gracie.
Gracie!
Oh, my God. I don't know what came over me.
Just a bit of fun.
Where's the dog?
Oh, no.
Do you know why I take two pairs of trousers onto the golf course?
In case I get a hole in one.
Did you hear something?
No, no. Maybe this old house has one or two ghosts, huh?
Oh, I don't believe in such things, captain.
Come here, you bloody mongrel.
I'm sure I can hear something.
Yes, that time I distinctly heard something.
Crusoe, no!
What's that now?
Come on, Crusoe! Get out of here!
- Take your hand off me, man. - Angus, come right back here!
Crusoe, come back!
Mr. Lewis, what in goodness sake?
Sorry, the name's Mowbray, ma'am.
- What? - Sorry, ma'am.
The dog got loose, and I was trying to catch him.
I should say you failed at that.
- Yes, ma'am. - You think it's funny, Mowbray?
No, no. It's a very serious matter.
You hold your tongue, man.
You're not in your stately home now. I'll not be taking orders from you.
That is quite enough.
Go and collect Angus and take him to his room immediately.
Yes, ma'am.
Crusoe? Crusoe, come back. We're all going to get into trouble.
Lewis, we've got to find Crusoe. He's gone.
Yeah, I know. I'll find the wee devil, and you go straight to your room.
- But, Lewis-- - Off to bed with you.
Or your mom will have both our hides. On you go. Go.
Where are you, you wee, smelly beast?
Angus. Angus. Angus, wake up. I found him.
Can't we just put him back in the bathtub?
No. No, I don't think so.
Jings.
Lewis, do you know anything more about water horses?
I think it was-- Aye, it was my Uncle Lachlan who first told me about them.
Many years ago, there was a lost traveler...
...and he's weeping bitter tears because he cannot find his way home.
He'd given up hope.
Then suddenly, who should appear at the bank of the loch to this traveler...
...but a sea spirit. A water horse.
The traveler, no fool is he, knows the water horse is a creature of magic...
...one that could grow 10 feet tall overnight.
So the traveler, he feeds the water horse, strokes it...
...flatters it with compliments. And finally the traveler says:
"Incidentally, water horse, my dear friend...
...I'm wondering, if you've no other pressing engagements...
...could I trouble you to carry me across the loch on your back?
Show me the way home?"
Well, what happens? Does the water horse help him?
I don't remember.
What? Does the water horse help him or doesn't he?
Well, it was so long ago that I heard it.
It either carries him across the loch...
...or it drags him down to the bottom to his watery death.
I'm not sure which.
Here you go, your favorite snack.
Angus, run now!
Angus, run!
Faster. No looking back.
Mowbray.
You're all wet, man.
You been fishing?
No. I went diving, to see all those submarines you're going to sink.
Oh, you like to mock the war effort, do you?
No. No, I don't.
Our forces over there in Europe on the front lines...
...they're doing a great job.
I want you to stay away from young Angus. Do you understand?