The 1994 film "A Simple Twist of Fate" is a film set in the period from 1979 to 1992. The film is loosely based on George Eliot's 1861 novel Silas Marner. Michael McCann is a teacher who leaves his position in Washington D.C. to live in rural Virginia as a woodworker and recluse. He collects coins and over several years amasses a large collection of gold coins. His coin collection is stolen by a burglar and shortly thereafter he finds a little girl and adopts her. He raises her for about eight years and then her biological father appears and attempts to get legal custody of the girl. Several types of gold coins are shown including a United States 1907 high relief St. Gaudens $20 coin, other St. Gaudens $20 coins, Liberty Head $20 coins, South African 1 ounce Krugerrands, and smaller gold coins.

The coin used in the title appears to not be a real coin but a replica of some kind. It is 1979 and Michael McCann is a music teacher in Washington D.C. His wife is pregnant and a friend gives him a gold coin as a gift for the child.

The friend tells Michael that "it will be there when you need it." Michael's wife tells him that a genetic test has revealed that he is not the father of her baby. A divorce follows and Michael leaves his position and moves to rural Virginia.

Michael lives as a recluse and works as a woodworker and furniture maker. His only friend is April Simon who runs a small antiques and coin store.

April shows Michael a gold coin.

The coin is a United States $20 St. Gaudens 1907 high-relief double eagle, a very rare coin.

The date 1907 is in Roman numerals.

Only around 12,000 of these were minted as the minting of each coin took longer than regular $20 coins making them uneconomical to produce. Michael buys the coin from April. She tries to interest him in some silver Walking Liberty half-dollars but he tells her he only wants gold coins. At home, Michael looks at his coin collection.

He probably made the wooden case as he is a woodworker. The next scene shows some regular $10 and $20 coins.

The top row are United States Liberty Head $10 gold coins dated 1905, 1894, 1893, and 1900. The middle row are United States Liberty Head $20 double eagles dated 1900 and 1904. These are all common date gold coins and worth little more than the bullion or gold value. Michael enjoys playing with his coins and here he shuffles them like playing cards.

Michael also keeps records of the current value of his coins.

He has 20 South African krugerrand gold coins lined up. These are one ounce bullion coins first minted in 1967. The number on his calculator is "7840" which meant that the price of gold per troy ounce was 7840 / 20 or $392 at the time (in 1984). The following scene is typical in films about misers.

Meanwhile, John Newland, a wealthy local man who is entering politics, is visited by his brother Tanny, a career criminal and drug addict.

John has been paying Tanny to keep an embarrassing incident in John's life out of the newspapers. John gives Tanny some money and Tanny leaves to visit a friend, Marsha Swanson.

Marsha has a daughter who was fathered by John Newland.

John is elected as a Congressman and is seen here with his wife Nancy.

Tanny Newland is driving another girlfriend and, while intoxicated, wrecks the car. He climbs out of the car and walks into the woods, coming upon Michael's house in the night. He breaks in, finds the coin collection, and steals it. Michael later wakes up, finds the coin collection gone, calls the police who find nothing. Marsha is driving with Mathilda and she also wrecks her car near Michael's house. Both leave the car and Marsha falls in the snow while little Mathilda sees an open door at Michael's house and enters it. Michael hears a noise, wakes up, and finds Mathilda. Tanny has disappeared and becomes the subject of local legends as to his whereabouts.

Michael looks around the property, finds Marsha dead, and calls the police. He is later allowed to adopt the child with the secret assistance of Congressman Newland.

Michael's looses his reclusive personality and becomes a devoted father. He becomes better friends with April who is also a single parent and has a little boy.

Several years go by and Mathilda is growing up and going to school. John Newland and his wife Nancy discover that she can not have a child and decide to adopt one. John invites Mathilda to visit the Newland estate because she likes the horses.

Nancy notices that her husband is especially interested in Mathilda and he tells Nancy why.

John tells Nancy about his affair with Marsha and that Mathilda is his biological daughter. Nancy pressures John to legally adopt Mathilda and the couple file a custody lawsuit against Michael. The main issue at the trial is that the Newlands have more money than Michael does and can send Mathilda to an expensive college.

The judge, a friend of the Newlands, is about to give the little girl to them. There is a commotion outside and people head to a quarry which has been drained of water.

Mathilda, Michael, and to the right the judge, look at something.

Tanny Newland and Michael's coin collection have been found.

The judge allows Michael to keep Mathilda as he now has money of his own. Michael takes Mathilda to visit her mother's grave.

Steve Martin as Michael McCann
Alana Austin as Mathilda McCann
Gabriel Byrne as John Newland
Laura Linney as Nancy Newland
Catherine O'Hara as April Simon
Stephen Baldwin as Tanny Newland
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writers: Steve Martin, George Eliot (novel Silas Marner)