A Simple Twist of Fate

A Simple Twist of Fate is a 1994 American comedydrama film directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The screenplay by Steve Martin is loosely based on the 1861 novel Silas Marner by George Eliot.

When high school music teacher Michael McCann discovers his wife is pregnant by another man, he divorces her and retreats into a life of solitude as a maker of finely crafted furniture in rural Virginia. Five years later, his only companion is a valuable collection of gold coins. But his heart is hurt again when Tanny Newland, the unsavory younger brother of politician John Newland, crashes his brothers car in the woods surrounding Michaels house, seriously injuring the woman he is with. Afraid of being arrested for drunk driving, Tanny steals Michaels coins while hes sleeping, takes off into the night and is never seen again.Weeks later during a winter storm, Michael is startled to discover a toddler has wandered into his home while he was outside gathering wood. A short distance away he discovers the body of her mother, a heroin addict whose car had run out of gas nearby. Unbeknownst to him, the child is the illegitimate daughter of John Newland, who participates in the investigation but keeps his relationship to the child a secret in order to protect his career. ........

Source: Wikipedia