Days after America elects a fascist demagogue to its highest office, disenchanted art restorer Frank Schugazi arrives at the far-north Finnish island of Hella, where he plans to recuperate and spend time with his oldest friend, Kari. But when Frank finally rings the bell in the lobby of the hotel they plan to renovate, Kari’s not there. Worse, part of the building has recently been set on fire. With the help of an alluring but volatile crimson-haired Finn named Loviisa, Frank soon finds himself probing the shadowy recesses of a land that sometimes see mere minutes of sunlight. The search for Kari, whose real name is Kareem and whose dark skin makes him an easy target in largely homogenous Finland, takes Frank from one increasingly surreal and unreadable situation to another. When he reaches the great northern territory of Lapland and a group of nationalists show him the heart of the nation—literally, in a velvet-lined box—Frank must stop staring at his feet and decide how far he’ll go to protect himself, his friends, and the country he just might start to call home.

Frank Schugazi has just arrived at the northern Finnish island of Hella, reachable only by ferry. There he is to meet his oldest friend, Kari. Except that when Frank arrives, the hotel is empty. Kari is missing. As evidence points to nefarious machinations at work, Frank becomes more desperate.

Frank goes to great lengths to protect the woman he has fallen in love with, but his friendship with Kari is forever altered.

Would make for a fine independent film in a Nordic location with excellent actors.

Christopher X. Ryan lives in Helsinki, Finland, where he works as a writer, editor, and ghostwriter. Born on the island of Martha's Vineyard, he has an MFA from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School in Boulder, Colorado. His work has been published in a wide variety of journals and magazines; his story DAY SHAPES earned second place in the 2019 Baltimore Review winter contest. He is represented by the Trentin Agency for his novel BOGORE. Chris can be found at TheWordPunk.com.

Internal Journey/Rebirth,,Overcoming Monster/Villain,Quest

Main Character

Name: Frank Schugazi

Age: 42

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Naive, Strong Moral Code, Complex, Desperate, Educated, Empathetic, Insecure, Lone Wolf,Modest,Decisive,Selfless,Faithful,Romantic,Secretive,Sophisticated,Strong Moral Code,Lone Wolf

Character 1

Name: Loviisa

Age: 35

Gender: Female

Role: Tempter

Key Traits: Beautiful, Confident, Manipulative, Seductive, Secretive, Sexy, Adventurous, Aggressive, Aspiring, Blunt, Complex, Desperate, Unapologetic,Adventurous,Aspiring,Confident,Engaging,Secretive,Seductive,Naive,Unapologetic

Character 2

Name: Olavi

Age: 70

Gender: Male

Role: antagonist

Key Traits: Villainous, Confident, Educated, Criminal, Decisive, Manipulative, Patriotic, Power-hungry, Unapologetic, Aggressive, Crazy,Narcisstic,Charming,Confident,Complex,Power Hungry,Outspoken,Engaging,Educated,Sophisticated,Manipulative,Lone Wolf,Leader

Character 3

Name: Kari

Age: 41

Gender: Male

Role: sidekick

Key Traits: Confident, Heartthrob, Narcissistic, Adventurous, Empathetic, Masculine, Naive, Seductive, Charming,Adventurous,Engaging,Heartthrob,Unapologetic,Seductive,Romantic,Outspoken,Narcisstic,Masculine

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