Origins

Every family has its legends and myths—a history filtered through the lens of beliefs and values and embroidered for retelling. This origin story is of the fictional Davis family, English immigrants determined to farm in Canada’s North-West Territory. It is the story of two brothers, Sam and John, whose lives are shaped and defined by their father’s ambition, political and social unrest, and the impact of wars at home and abroad.

William, the family patriarch, is obsessed with breaking free of his humble beginnings, achieving his goals and proving he is more than just a “foundling.” William’s ambition generates continual conflict between his sons. His determination to succeed results in Sam narrowly escaping death as a child soldier in the North-West Rebellion of 1885 and fast-tracks John to adult responsibilities. Inspired by his father’s ambitions and need for adventure, Sam heads to South Africa’s battlefields in 1899 while John struggles to secure the family’s fortunes on the homefront.

The Magpie’s Tales are of resilience and ambition, separation, love and tragedy set in Canada’s North-West at the beginning of the settlement.