- As Ron begins a new life in Rio, Charmian makes the best of things as a single mother in Melbourne. But tragedy strikes when their eldest son Nicky is killed in a car accident.
- Waiting to join Ronnie in Rio, Charmian is devastated when their eldest son Nicky is killed in a car crash, and she smuggles a letter to Ronnie to inform him. She keeps strong by taking a university degree as a mature student while fighting off the unwanted attentions of married Craig. Meanwhile, Ronnie is visited in Rio by Jack Slipper after giving an interview to a tabloid reporter but cannot be extradited as he has impregnated his girlfriend Raimunda, giving him a claim to stay in Brazil. Charmian takes the boys to see him to discuss divorce, on the assumption that they will eventually reunite, but Ronnie is distant and unloving and admits that he would sacrifice the family to stay free. Thus Charmian sees that her two surviving sons must come first and she walks out on Ronnie forever. She reconciles with her parents, but turns down their request that she lives with them and determines to start a new life on her own terms in Australia.—don @ minifie-1
- Having used the Packer money to buy a new house for herself and the boys, Charmian misses Ron desperately. He is lonely too, barely scraping a living as a roofer in a dingy Rio suburb. Then tragedy strikes when their eldest son Nicky, is killed in a car crash. Charmian must smuggle out a letter to Ron telling him the terrible news. Charmian and Ron are broken by Nicky's death, but each deals with it differently. Charmian resolves to keep herself as busy as possible--maniacally so--by taking on a degree as a mature student. Ron slides into a pit of drink, drugs, and women. At this point he meets beautiful young Brazilian dancer Raimunda. But jaded by life, Ron decides to arrange one last payday, He meets up with a "Daily Express" journalist in Rio to sell him his life story. The journalist betrays Ron by tipping off the police, and an old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Slipper, arrests Ron in Rio. He is thrown in prison in Brasilia, facing extradition and without even the comfort of a cheque from the "Express" for Charmian and the boys. Then he discovers that Raimunda is pregnant, and that if the baby is his, the Brazilian authorities might not deport him. Charmian flies out to Rio for an emotional reunion, only for Ron to tell her that he wants her to divorce him. He tells her it is for cosmetic reasons only--so he can be "free" to marry Raimunda--but she is badly shaken. However, when Ron's extradition is refused, she busily plans for life in Rio as a family unit again, and this time there will be no need to hide. When she takes her sons Chris and Nicky to meet their father for the first time in nearly five years, Ron is cold and distant; he is curt with Charmian too. Tension builds until, in an emotional confrontation, he admits that his freedom has become more important to him than his family, that he wants to stay free whatever the cost, and that with the Brazilian media watching him for signs of a weakening of commitment to Raimunda, his 'English family' are the price he must pay. He asks Charmian to live with him and Raimunda in Rio as one big happy family but she refuses and walks out on him forever. She knows she must put the boys first now. On the way back to Australia she goes to see her family for the first time in over a decade. Her father is overjoyed when she tells him she and Ron are to divorce, and that he was "right" about Ron all along. But when her father assumes that she will now move back to the UK, she tells him that her life is now in Australia, a country that wants her, and where she won't just be 'Mrs Biggs, the wife of the Great Train Robber'.
- Having used the Packer money to buy a new house for herself and the boys, Charmian misses Ron desperately. He is lonely too, barely scraping a living as a roofer in a dingy Rio suburb.
Then, tragedy strikes when their eldest son, Nicky, is killed in a car crash. Charmian has to smuggle out a letter to Ron telling him of the terrible news. Charmian and Ron are broken by the death of Nicky, but each deals with it in a different way.
Charmian resolves to keep herself as busy as she can - maniacally so - by taking on a degree as a mature student. Ron slides into a pit of drink, drugs and women.It is at this point he meets a beautiful young Brazilian dancer by the name of Raimund.
But jaded by life, Ron decides to arrange one last payday then turn himself in. He meets up with a Daily Express journalist in Rio to sell him his life story. The journalist betrays Ron by tipping off the police and an old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Slipper, arrests Ron in Rio. He is thrown in prison in Brasilia, facing extradition, and without even the comfort of a cheque from the Express for Charmian and the boys.
Then he discovers that Raimunda is pregnant, and that if the baby is his, the Brazilian authorities might not deport him. Charmian flies out to Rio for an emotional reunion, only to be told by Ron that he wants her to divorce him. He tells her it is for cosmetic reasons only - so that he can be 'free' to marry Raimunda, but she is badly shaken.
However, when Ron's extradition is refused, she busily plans for life in Rio as a family unit again, and this time there will be no need to hide. When she takes her sons Chris and Nicky out to meet their father for the first time in nearly five years, Ron is cold and distant; he is curt with Charmian too.
Tension builds until, in an emotional confrontation, he admits to her that his freedom has become more important to him than his family. That he wants to stay free whatever the cost; and that with the Brazilian media watching him for signs of a weakening of commitment to Raimunda, his 'English family' are the price he must pay.
He asks Charmian to live with him and Raimunda in Rio as one, big happy family but she refuses and walks out on him forever. She knows she must put the boys first now. On the way back to Australia she goes to see her family for the first time in over a decade.
Her father is overjoyed when she tells him she and Ron are to divorce, and that he was 'right' about Ron all along. But when her father assumes she will now move back to the UK, she tells him her life is now in Australia, a country that wants her, and where she won't just be 'Mrs Biggs, the wife of the Great Train Robber'.
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