FALL 2019. At a small New England university, JIM FOWLER, Professor of Psychology, prepares for another semester of shaping young minds. Little does he know that one of those young minds, KATE MARSHALL, has set her sights on the professor himself. Tutoring becomes therapy becomes an affair becomes…
SPRING 2023. In New York City’s Lower East Side, ETHAN BLAKE strolls into an art gallery one day and immediately becomes entranced by the charismatic and luminescent owner, CAROL JENNINGS, a woman who has it all – a thriving business, more wealth than she’ll ever need. She falls for Ethan’s charms and the two begin a whirlwind romance. All’s well until Carol’s suspicious brother HECTOR WALSH storms into town and begins his own investigation into Ethan’s past… and Jim’s past…
Two very different men. TWO SIDES OF THE SAME MAN.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Why did JIM FOWLER decide to become a Professor of Psychology? The answer lies in psychology’s definition—”the scientific study of the human mind and its functions”. If he can harness even a small part of his own mind, he reasons with himself, comprehend its inner workings, then why won’t that lead to controlling the very thing itself? Break it down. Rebuild the perfect beast. Yes. As ETHAN BLAKE, Jim’s diametrically-opposed counterpart, explains to Carol at the apex of their relationship, “We’ve been the subjects of our own experiments, patients in our own blind studies where we were prevented from knowing the parameters, the variables, because it could skew the results,” he laments with a distinct hint of bitterness. Why bitterness? Maybe because he wishes he understood it sooner, when he was hopelessly entangled with Kate. Not tough Kate. Sweet vulnerable Kate. But as Ethan would also tell us, what’s done is done, what’s obvious is obvious. Indeed.
College freshman KATE MARSHALL is bored. Very bored. In her search for a new challenge, her gaze lands upon Professor Jim Fowler and suddenly her search is over. As she explains to her longtime friend Courtney, she’s prepared to employ whatever tactics are necessary, not stopping until she gets what she wants. The question is will she be able to handle it when she gets it?
CAROL JENNINGS seems to have it all. A thriving business. A Soho address. More wealth than she could ever need. So when Ethan Blake saunters into her life, offering the one thing she’s truly missing, she takes the leap of faith with no assumptions and limited expectations. What shocks her is how easily she falls for this mystery man and how deep her feelings run.
Carol’s long-lost brother, HECTOR WALSH has been away for far too long and has much ground to make up. So when he shows up suddenly and attempts to re-insert himself into Carol’s life, her lukewarm response to his return makes him realize it’ll take a lot of work for her to trust him again.
COURTNEY JOHNSON wants to get the most out of her college experience. Classes. Friends. Parties. Boys. Easy. Well, not the boys part. That part’s hard. She looks to Kate for answers, for any advice she can provide. The problem is she lacks Kate’s confidence, a constant source of angst and jealousy.
JUSTIN ROWE is your typical college frat boy. Knows how to party. Knows how to get rowdy. Knows how to seduce girls. But when the tables are turned and Kate is the one who seduces him, he is left befuddled and bewildered, leading him on a relentless quest to remain an important part of her life.
Fellow psychology professor CHARLES KEPLER is at a crossroads. As his marriage dissolves, he’s forced to examine his life and question what he’s accomplished. Taking a vicarious and unhealthy interest in Jim’s relationship with Kate, he offers fair warning as to where things are headed.
COOPER REDMAN is the ultimate wing man. As Justin’s frat buddy, he’s at all the parties and knows everyone in attendance. He’s acutely insightful about the tenuous relationships that exist all around him. As circumstances spiral out of control, he answers the call, offering Justin and Courtney the support they need.
Longtime family friend NINA SINGER is far more than Carol’s gallery assistant. Close friends with Carol and Hector’s Mom, Nina is the link to their past, an older sister of sorts, a role she accepts, even when stuck between battling siblings. Her own love life a distance memory, she’ll continue to watch over her charges.
Having experienced more than most in his 50+ years, DOC is the first to admit that he looks and feels older than he should. In response, the former non-fiction writer now takes refuge in his house by the lake, enjoying fishing, boating, and lending an ear to his friend Jim, the tenant of his guest house.
When DETECTIVE ALEXANDER BURKE takes on a new case, particularly ones that involves crimes against those he deems innocent, it seeps into his soul, so much so that he loses objectivity and the emotional distance to solve the crime, employing questionable and unorthodox techniques.
SERGEANT VALERIE MILLER is everything her unseasoned underling Detective Burke is not. She’s a veteran, a pure professional, someone who goes by the book, always, because she knows that slow and steady wins the race, particularly when trying to solve cases that make you lose sleep at night.
William J. LoCasto 