S1.E7 ∙ Dearest Nicky

Coming of age drama set in 1929 Melbourne

Set during a incredibly tumultuous period of the Afrikaners' development between 1914 and 1948, the story follows the lives of four young men--Willem, P.G., Gerhard, and Bennie--poor white miners who become involved in the 1914 Rebellion by chance. When the Rebellion is unsuccessful, the four young men find themselves at a crossroads: do they continue as before, or do they fight for freedom and a better future? They make the choice to fight, but each in his own way: Bennie through the church and politics, Willem through radical resistance, P.G. by means of the written word, and Gerhard through the trade unions. There and then they decide to cut open their hands and swear a pact to be blood brothers until the end. We follow their lives and see how each one falls in love and starts his own family, survives through the chaos of the 1922 mine workers' rebellion, the Depression of the 1930s, the uncertain times during World War II, and the buildup to the infamous 1948 election. But to share blood and swear to be blood brothers is one thing. To honor that oath through all the twists and turns of life is something completely different, especially when your life choice stands in stark contrast to that of your blood brother.

In 1768, in the midst of a severe smallpox epidemic that killed every tenth inhabitant of the country, Empress Catherine II decides to set a personal example for her subjects: together with her heir, Tsarevich Paul, she is the first to be vaccinated against the terrible disease and declares vaccination mandatory for everyone - despite the court intrigues, peasant revolts and an impending war with Turkey, this decree must be carried out at all costs, otherwise the deadly virus will claim even more lives.

Based on Shôtarô Ikenami's novel by the same title. The drama focuses on the history of the Sanada clan during the late Sengoku period.

Mistreated foundling Heathcliff and his stepsister Catherine fall in love, but when she marries a wealthy man, he becomes obsessed with getting revenge, even well into the next generation.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi becomes the regent during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period and holds sway while his vassals amass wealth. On the other hand, the common people slide into dire poverty and their discontent grows day by day. They are given moral support by the Shiranami Yazaemon troupe. Yazaemon, the head of the troupe, is the alias for the great thief Ishikawa Goemon to disguise himself from the public. Ishikawa goes against the powerful Hideyoshi, sneaking into the mansions of feudal lords and wealthy merchants who have done wrong, to steal anything of value and distribute the money and items to the needy. Hideyoshi is eager to capture Ishikawa. Furthermore, this is mingled with the ulterior motives of Hideyoshi's concubine Chacha, his vassals Maeda Geni, Ishida Mitsunari and other people around him.