Three Maidens in Stanley Park

Abbreviated Synopsis

THREE MAIDENS IN STANLEY PARK

On a spring day in 1915 three young maidens stroll and cavort around in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada, then later leave, go out to the street and meet three boys. They engage them. It is the beginning of romance between the three maidens and the three boys. They, as three couples, do things together, date, see movies, take hikes, travel, tour places, and fall in love.

The three boys go to war, fight in the trenches, and endure mustard gas. One is killed, one is shell shocked, and one comes home.

At home, there are shortages, rationing, and a neighbor lady with tuberculosis. Vi, one of the maidens, helps this lady, but then, herself, contracts tuberculosis, and goes to a sanitarium.

After the war, Timothy, who comes home, visits his sweetheart, Vi, at the sanitarium, then betroths to her, but later changes his mind; for he recalls mustard gas, its debilitating effect on men, and now sees tuberculosis, its debilitating effect on Vi. So, Timothy marries Joyce, the maiden whose fellow was killed. The third maiden, Jane, now marries her fellow, Bruce, the one shell shocked.

Over the years, Vi recovers from tuberculosis, becomes a secretary, inherits her father’s house. Jane now works in a department store, but Bruce does not work because of his shell shock. Timothy works on a production line and still pines for Vi. He sees her on the street one day. She rebuffs him. Joyce in time dies from cancer. Years pass and Timothy with prostate cancer is about to die. On this, he forces an encounter with Vi on the street, telling her, that he wants to bequeath to her his estate. She refuses it.

Years later, in old age, on a day, Vi sits on her front porch and dreams of what could have been but was not to be – a handsome soldier back from the war, betrothed to her, loved her, married her, and had children with her. Then the dream fades, is gone. She goes inside.