In "The Thorn Birds", Richard Chamberlain portrayed father "Ralph de Bricassart", which is banished to the Australian outback. There he befriends the owner of a large sheep farm, "Mary Carson". The series revolves around the forbidden relationship between father "Ralph" and "Meggie Cleary", the niece of "Mary Carson". Father "Ralph" has to choose between his love for "Meggie" and that for the Church – his devotion to God wins in the end. But their paths cross again and again...