The Story of an African Farm (1883) is a novel by South African political activist and writer Olive Schreiner. Her first published novel, The Story of an African Farm was a bestseller upon its release despite being criticized for its portrayal of controversial social, religious, and political themes. Part Bildungsroman, part philosophical fiction, the novel is recognized as a groundbreaking work for its exploration of feminism, atheism, and the influence...

Jonathan, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is the ungainly, neglected eldest son of a family living in the Black Country. His younger brother Harold is everything he is not. Despite the favoritism shown to Harold, the two boys build a close friendship that lasts a lifetime and ends in tragedy.