When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.
Shipped off to a Romanian orphanage to finish his sentence, a British criminal finds romance but also discovers corruption inside the facility.
Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.
A circus wild animal trainer searches for the son who was taken away from him by a meddling relative years earlier.
When Madeline's long lost uncle Horst arrives to take her to a Viennese finishing school, Miss Clavel, the eleven little girls and Pepito realize that something is not right.
In the Mexican town of Santa Clara, Salma, a 16 year-old orphan who never got to meet her biological parents, has spent most of her life searching for clues of their identities and whereabouts, that is until she discovers a special book that is filled with stories of the town's past and the history of it's people.
A radio host broadcasts a show about children living in an orphanage.
TV pilot based on an original manga by Tetsuya Chiba, about a 10-year old girl named Yuki. An orphan who's being adopted by a family.
One woman's suffering gives rise to the revolution of women's social rights in China.
At school, Luca is falsely accused of a prank and wishes he had a father who would defend him in front of the headmaster. His father is dead, but he meets a sea captain who is willing to pretend to be his parent. Then Captain Andrea falls in love with Luca's mother, textile mill worker Maria. Before things go right, Andrea needs to deal with an ex-girlfriend and a smuggling plot.
A young orphan named Amiro lives alone in an abandoned tanker in the Iranian port city of Abadan. He survives by shining shoes, selling water, and collecting deposit bottles. Although he sometimes finds himself at odds with both adults and competing older kids, he finds solace in dreams about departing cargo ships and airplanes—and by running.
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
Her name is Punchy, his is Toothpick. They are 10 year old runaways. Living in the back-alley of an unknown industrial city, they build their own happy family.
After Dan collapses at a train station, he enlists Maxie to watch his beloved dog, Molly. Maxie develops a soft spot for her new furry companion - a dog which has a unique ability to sing in tune.
Bamse, Ælling, Bruno, Hr Skæg, Robotdrengene and Lille Nørd are among the popular children figures that contribute. A well-playing DR Big Band brings new life to old classics and connects the performance musically to a high level.
An orphan in 18th century London lashes out against the harrowing child labor market.
15-year-old Dawn runs away from what she feels is an intolerable home life. In the big city, she ends up turning to prostitution when she is unable to get a job due to her age. She meets Alexander, a young male hustler who takes her in, but when she starts working for a pimp, Alexander becomes a target.
A young girl comes to terms with her life in foster care.
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds -- with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.
Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.