A tale of two "Jacks": one the hero of traditional folktales; the other a retired fisherman passing the time in his fishing stage spinning tales of his youth.
The folktales usually begin:
"Once there were 3 brothers: Tom, Bill, and Jack. Now Tom and Bill, they were handy, they were actually able to do something. But Jack, well, all Jack could do was sit by the fire, and..".and we're off on a fantastical tale of derring-do starring Jack, the ne'er-do-well youngest brother. This Jack slays giants, outwits witches, befriends every creature he meets, carries the day with simple common sense and an innate naiveté, finds his Fortune and marries The Princess.
The other Jack in this documentary is a retired fisherman living by the harbour in St. John's city: Jack Wells. This Jack and his friends spend each day together sharing memories and telling stories in his twinestore - a fisherman's shed crammed with stored nets, rope, and fishing gear.
The stories told in Jack's twinestore are tales of fish, of falling overboard, of when the motor froze or the cod were scarce, tales of doing battle with the giants of weather and outwitting the witches of officialdom, and always in the end winning the Princess of Fish in the Kingdom of Memory. Adventures no more or less unlikely than those of the other told-about Jack who eventually finds his fortune, too.
The documentary weaves together the real and the mythical Jack, and considers the role that stories play in accompanying us through life and into retirement. And "if they don't live happily ever after, then may all of ye"

Produced for Radio Telefis Eireann and first broadcast October 31, 2009 in Ireland on RTE Documentary on One