- A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.
- A boy finds an interesting egg. His curiosity leads him to protect it and want to figure out what will come out of it. He didn't realize that it would turn into something magical. The boy and the Water horse grow a strong relationship together in this wonderful story.—kcquail
- Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) has made a most unusual discovery, and he's about to find out just how one innocent boy's greatest fantasy can also be a frightened adult population's greatest threat. Unable to identify the egg that he found while walking the sandy shores, Angus is even more perplexed about the discovery and the creature that emerges resembles what comes to be known as a Water Horse, which Angus names Crusoe. As the bizarre new life form begins to grow at an alarming rate, it soon becomes obvious that Angus will not be able to keep it a secret for very long, and the young boy will have to do some seriously quick thinking if he is to keep his new friend safe.
- A Scottish laird is off to World War II and grants the army use of his castle by a loch for his friend, artillery captain Hamilton, to station his garrison -camping, except the officers indoors- to install a battery in case of German submarine attack. Housekeeper .Gracie MacGowan, a presumed war widow, hires handyman Lewis Mowbray. He finds out when her kid son Angus MacMorrow, who found a strange egg loitering on the beach, got it hatching a rare Celtic mythological Nessie-like creature he called Crusoe, which needs bathing, and Lewis recognizes as a water horse, of which only one exists at any time. They try to hide and raise it, but it grows so fast it needs to be released in the loch. Alas, the artillery exercises beginning there put all in danger, forcing them and Crusoe to interact.—KGF Vissers
- In present-day Scotland, an American tourist couple go into a bar where they meet an old man who, per their request (after the tourists see the surgeon's photo), tells them a story about the Loch Ness Monster and how the fake photo came about. In 1942 during World War II, a boy named Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) lives in the manor house of Lord Killin on the shores of Loch Ness with his mother Anne MacMorrow (Emily Watson) and his sister, Kirstie (Priyanka Xi). Later, they are joined by Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), who comes to work as a handyman in the manor. Angus' father Charles (Craig Hall) -Killin's former handyman- is a sailor in the Royal Navy and has been missing since his ship was sunk in the war almost a year ago; Angus is unable to accept that it is unlikely he will ever come home.
One day, while collecting seashells, he (Although Angus is afraid of the water, but he is strangely drawn towards it) discovers what appears to be a large mysterious egg in the sand, which he leaves in his father's shed. When he returns later, an unknown creature hatches, which he calls 'Crusoe' after Robinson Crusoe. Angus decides to keep the creature a secret, but eventually tells his sister (when Crusoe enters the house, as Lewis had been ordered to clean out the barn and got into Kirstie's bathtub) and Lewis (who had come to fix the guest bathroom on Anne's orders) after they discover it. Lewis explains to Angus that it is a gender less "Water Horse" (there can only be one water horse in the world at a time) that lays one egg, then dies before it hatches.
Not long afterwards, troops of the 12th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery arrive at the house which is commanded by Captain Thomas Hamilton (David Morrissey) - a friend of Lord Killin, who is serving with the Royal Air Force. An artillery battery is set up near the lake as a defense against German U-boats while the troops set up camp on the manor grounds. Meanwhile, Lewis discovers Crusoe to have grown so big that he and Angus have no choice but to let it roam free in the Loch.
Captain Hamilton proclaims Lewis to be a bad influence (After Lewis refuses to follow Hamilton's orders and laughs after Hamilton's dinner with Anne is ruined when the regiment dog runs through it (it was chasing Crusoe)), and Angus' mother allows him to teach Angus some discipline and make a soldier out of him. However, after a few days of training, Angus escapes and returns to the lake, where Crusoe, now a full-grown adult, encourages Angus to ride on its back. After some time, it begins to dive underwater. Angus, having aqua-phobia, protests diving, but later enjoys himself and finally overcomes his phobia.
The next day, Captain Hamilton takes the MacMorrow family to a hill overlooking Loch Ness; Crusoe is shocked after almost getting hit by an exploding artillery shell during a firing demonstration. Angus interrupts to save Crusoe from injury or death, but in the process, enrages Hamilton and irritates Angus' mother, who doesn't know what a Water Horse is and won't believe Angus when he tries to tell her. But Hamilton's yelling makes Anne lose all respect for him. Meanwhile Lewis is getting on well with the kids and Anne is happy to see them laugh with him. Angus is sent to his room at six every night for a month, as punishment for his inappropriate behavior on the hill.
Two fishermen who previously saw Crusoe, attempt to take a photo of the creature for fame and fortune. When they realize that they won't be able to photograph the real thing due to the bombardment, they decide to create an imitation. (The result is the real-life faked picture of The Loch Ness Monster known as "The Surgeon's Photo".) The photo piques the interest of a few soldiers, who venture out on the lake at night to hunt it with Sergeant Walker (Joel Tobeck) leading the hunt.
Angus, who sneaks out of his room with his sister's help, visits the lake and calls for Crusoe. Crusoe rises, still in shock and fear from the earlier bombardment, nearly bites off Angus's hand before sinking back into the Loch. Hamilton's dog Churchill, having caught Crusoe's scent at the shore, alerts the soldiers of its presence. Crusoe then surprises the soldiers and capsizes their boat but not before one of the soldiers sends out an SOS to Hamilton, who thinks the Germans are attacking. Back at the Loch, Angus attempts to calm Crusoe, who is attacking Strunk (Marshall Napier) and wades into the lake where he loses his footing and sinks.
Crusoe comes to Angus's rescue and saves his life. When his mother arrives, she finally believes her son when she sees Crusoe, though does not notice the creature at first and accuses Lewis of filling Angus's head with tales of sea creatures and magic. The nearby artillery battery soon opens fire upon Crusoe, having mistaken it for a German U-Boat. Angus, Hamilton, Anne and Lewis lead Crusoe to safety at the net, who escapes into the sea.
At sunrise, Angus finally accepts his father's fate before they watch Crusoe's departure. It is implied that Anne is also ready to move on, having fallen in love with Lewis. Over the years after Crusoe's departure, several people claim to have seen it but Angus never sees Crusoe again while others said that Crusoe returned in search of Angus and could see it. The tourists thank the old storyteller and ask for his name, which he reveals to be Angus Macmorrow. Outside the pub, a mother calls out to her son William, who is walking down the beach. He spots a rock, which has an iridescent shell just like Crusoe's, hinting that Crusoe has died and has left a descendant behind to become the next Water Horse.
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