Robert Louis Stevenson's 1889 novel Master of Ballantrae served as the source of a 1952 Errol Flynn vehicle, which laundered Flynn's character and happied up the ending. The 1984 Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of Master of Ballantrae has the good grace to allow James Durrisder, the Flynn character, to emerge as the opportunistic cad that Stevenson had intended. James (Michael York) is the eldest and favorite son of Scottish Lord Durrister (Sir John Gielgud). On the occasion of the 1745 Stuart uprising, James impulsively casts his lot with The Pretender, while younger brother Henry (Richard Thomas) remains loyal to the Crown. Time passes: James is reported dead, allowing Henry to become Master of Ballantrae and to claim James' fiancee (Fiona Hughes) as his own. But after innumerable escapades, James returns for a final accounting. The Stevenson original ended with the deaths of both brothers, but like the 1952 Flynn version, the 1984 Master of Ballantrae opts for a more upbeat denouement.