What happened to Father Ralph de Bricassart and Meggie Cleary during the mystery years not covered in the original 1983 hit miniseries? The Thorn Birds The Missing Years provides the spellbinding answer. Richard Chamberlain returns as de Bricassart in this riveting companion to The Thorn Birds, based on Colleen McCulloughs bestseller. During World War II, De Bricassart heroically rescues refugees in Rome, then is sent by the Vatican to the sprawling Australian sheep ranch he thought he had left behind forever. A reunion with Meggie (Amanda Donohoe) leads to new temptations and a profound crisis: Meggie may lose custody of the beloved son conceived during the season of forbidden love they shared years earlier.