AustLit

'Pamela Roberts, a teenage girl sneaks out of the convent where she is a ward. She rendezvous with her boyfriend, Duncan and gets given cigarettes, vodka and money in exchange for handmade lace produced by the convent. The next morning she is found drowned.

'Homicide detectives searching the park on the other side of the river, find the paperbag with the cigarettes and a cash register receipt floating in the water. They also talk to Otter, an old scrounger who combs the park for old bottles. He said that he didn't see anyone the previous night.

'Dawn Anderson is the self-proclaimed leader of the teenagers at the convent. She keeps the remaining three girls in line. Nora Flemming [sic] is a shy outcast of the group. Dawn is worried that Nora will talk to the police and tell them about their clandestine operations. She threatens Nora with violence if she tells the police anything.

'The Homicide detectives are able to establish that the bars on the bathroom window could be removed, allowing Pamela to get out, and that there is a narrow shallow spot in the river that she could have crossed. They find Duncan and interview him. He confirms this and tells his side of the story. Sergeant White is prepared to believe him. It is apparent that one of the girls must have known that Pamela wasn't going to come back because the bathroom window was sealed from the inside.

'The teenage girls at the convent can see that the police are closing in and start to worry. Dawn has a plan to get Nora to admit to the murder. They burn her hand in the laundry press and make out it was an accident. Dawn then keeps torturing her hand when they are alone. Eventually they drive the girl to confess to a murder that she never committed. The Police are not convinced that she was burnt by accident. Inspector Lawson interviews Helen Grey again and points out that she could be in serious trouble. Helen tells them the whole story, including how Dawn used to be Duncan's girlfriend. Lawson next interviews Dawn and is able to get her to admit to killing Pamela.'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'DAWN ANDERSON: About 18. A leader of the pack. Probably a solidly-built girl with few striking features other than her leadership.

'NORA FLEMING: The same age group as the other girls. Introverted, she is unable to cope with Dawn's aggression and dominance. She is the outsider. Probably slight in build.

'BARBARA RILEY (BARBIE): The same age as Dawn, who is the only one from whom she takes orders. She has a will of her own, which shows through once she finds herself getting into unfamiliar surroundings.

'HELEN GREY: About 18. As colourless as her name. She offers blind allegiance to anyone who will lead.

'PAM ROBERTS: A little more sex appeal than Dawn, but she is still no Raquel Welch.

'SISTER AUGUSTA: A young nun. She tries to let the girls find self-discipline rather than try to push it into them. She has a keen appreciation of the girls'

problems.

'SISTER CATHERINE: About forty. But nuns usually have fresh complexions and it's difficult to judge ages. Her years show more through her attitude to the discipline she demands from her charges, and the fixed routine to which she religiously adheres.

'MOTHER PHILLIPA: The eldest of the three nuns. She has sizeable responsibility controlling an institution of the magnitude she does. She tries hard.

'OTTER: An old drop-out who has found existence in the simple routine he has evolved for himself. He rejects the world as much as possible, and finds sanctuary behind the "off" position of the switches of his two hearing-aids.

'DUNCAN: A smart young crim with an eye for both business and the female form.'

These character notes are replicated on the casting call sheets.