"The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe" is a mini-series that tells the true story of a couple of fraudsters. John Darwin, a prison guard, is suffering from massive debts. He decides to pull off a dangerous scheme - to fake his death on duty in order to collect a huge insurance payout. With the help of his loyal wife, he stages his own death. The couple starts a new life in Panama, deceiving not only the police and insurance companies but also their own two sons.