Brief

A powerful tech CEO finds his life turned upside down when he inadvertently causes the death of his young son. His situation worsens when he is then fired from his beloved position at his company. However, with some help for his friends, he starts a new technological venture and hopefully a new chance at life--as long as he does not fall into his old bad habit.

What We Liked

- This was written in a really interesting, intimate first person perspective but with a flawed, unreliable narrator. Reading it was an adventure even before the dramatic story with complex characters and situations.
- As a film, this would be an epic drama with heartbreak and loss that would leave viewers devastated but satisfied at the end.
- As a television show, this would be a drama that viewers would tune in every week to see the competition between Dan and Olivia unfold and sit on the edge of their seats as they watch the war over the company develop.
- Key points: Anti hero protagonist; Corporate drama; High stakes; Romance; Meaningful message

Synopsis

Dan Underlight is the successful CEO of tech company RadioRadio, a company he built with his best friend, Olivia. However, RadioRadio has been falling apart lately, as has Dan's life--he is still mourning the recent loss of his son, Zack. Dan sees visions of his son everywhere and imagines him talking to him. Dan is fired from RadioRadio by Olivia and is depressed for a time, and only helped by his friend, Willow, a poet who runs a women's shelter. Willow and Dan form a romantic bond and she takes him along on a spiritual retreat. There, he realizes he must go on a pilgrimage of his own. He travels across the country visiting various Fortune 500 companies, building a tiny pyramid out of stones at each as a small reminder of his son. While on his pilgrimage, he picks up a hitchhiker who ends up stealing his money and his car, leaving him stranded before completing his journey. He heads home to Willow dismayed, but tells her of his idea for a new technology company. She encourages him, and he soon pitches the idea to his small team of close friends with various skills related to the industry. The idea is to make a technology that allows users to feel like they're in the room with each other as they have conversations about how to fix complicated issues. His friends love the idea, and they begin building the technology and the business.

At first, Dan is able to go without taking any outside money for the business, but then, Olivia sues his company. It's a frivolous lawsuit but the point is not to win, the point is to bankrupt the company before it is even off the ground, and Dan goes to Jason, a wealthy investor, for help. Jason agrees to invest his money in the company and get Olivia to drop the lawsuit in exchange for half ownership in the company and a clause that allows for Dan to be fired. Dan agrees and soon, the company has its first launches and is a fast success. Dan sees a woman get attacked by her boyfriend and intervenes, beating the man mercilessly, and someone catches him on video. Dan begins to suspect that Willow is cheating on him, and hires a private investigator to stalk her. Dan eventually confesses about the spying to Willow, who reveals she was not cheating on him but breaks up with him for violating her trust. Olivia joins the board of Dan's company.

While the company is a huge success, Dan's personal life is a mess. He sees a prostitute named Katie regularly, and has been cutting himself with an arrowhead. Olivia has been trying to edge him out of the company, but so far he has managed to hold on. The video of Dan beating up the abusive boyfriend goes viral, and everyone is furious at the footage of what looks like a CEO beating up a random, innocent man. Willow meets up with Dan and suggests that she takes a position at the company and establishes a section focused to fighting domestic violence to fix his PR disaster, and he hires her, which fixes their image. However, Olivia is still soon able to get Dan fired from the company. He moves to a house on a lake, and Willow visits him. He is still in love with her, but she can't forgive him for betraying her trust. Willow's work at the company helps to get the equal rights amendment finally passed, and she takes Dan as her platonic date to a ceremony where she will be awarded woman of the year. After the ceremony, Willow and Dan give a ride home to one of the women from her shelter, who is attacked by her ex husband at her house. The ex husband threatens Willow and later tracks her down and kills her. Dan is incredibly saddened by the loss of Willow and falls into a dark depressive spiral for a time, but eventually he is able to let go and begins to rebuild his life. He is offered his old position back at his company and starts scholarships and foundations to help women.

About The Author

Rich Marcello teaches creative writing at Seven Bridges’ Writer Collaborative. Previously, he enjoyed a successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.