Log Line:  a young traveler arrives from the future as an ambassador of goodwill in order to complete a college assignment.

The Setting: present day Philadelphia, PA

The Players:

Daniel, a kind, somewhat naïve, yet brutally honest, aspiring counselor, arrives in the city as part of an immersion course. He studies the culture and begins what he thinks will be an easy task. He is equipped with a few exceptional abilities, a large heart and loads of boyish charm.

Daniel soon realizes that the human need is great and the human condition  far more complex than he ever imagined.      

Maria, an ambitious check-out girl, trapped in an abusive relationship dreams of someday opening her own restaurant but is afraid to leave her current situation. When she meets Daniel she realizes that he is throwing her a lifeline and she decides to trust him.

The Hook: Daniel finds an apartment in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood and teaches himself Spanish and guitar. He takes a job as a stock boy at a nearby pet shop and decorates his apartment with tropical plants, fish and birds. He is successful in his counseling efforts until he meets Maria and, in spite of the rules forbidding such liaisons, falls deeply in love.

Desperate to remove her from her dangerous home life, Daniel agrees to let her stay with him but struggles constantly against his desire to take the relationship beyond friendship.

Hector, a controlling civil service worker with serious anger issues, won’t accept Maria’s rejection and confronts her on the street. He accidentally causes her to fall and she is badly injured.

The Snag:  Daniel rushes to aid Maria but is too late to prevent the injury. Now he must make the conscious choice to allow events to take their natural course or defy the rules and use his power to heal her.     

The Switch: As Daniel begins the healing process he finds his power is blocked by the anger he feels toward Hector. This emotion is foreign and overwhelming. Daniel goes in search of Hector and finds him at a bar drinking heavily. Daniel confronts him and ends up in a fight, horrified to realize that each time he lands a blow, he feels Hector’s pain. Hector repents and Daniel forgives.

            With his anger deflated, Daniel returns to Maria’s bedside and in a moment of complete surrender, sweeps her from her room and carries her to a secluded area by the water, where he lovingly heals her. As the sun rises, they share a passionate kiss. Though he longs to stay with her, he knows that it can never be. He pours out his pain to her, explaining his failed mission, and informs her that he must leave now. Looking into his eyes, Maria understands and reluctantly releases him. Daniel fades away in the early morning light.

The Payoff:  In the epilogue we see that in spite of Daniel’s flawed mission, everyone that he encountered in his brief stay has evolved; taking leaps of faith, mending broken relationships, accepting responsibilities and following their dreams.

                   Soundtrack by Jeffrey Gaines           

             Change is Gonna Come

             Anything New

             Love Me

             In This Lifetime

             Win

             Happy That

             Make Him Believe

             Over and Over

             Life of the Living

             I’ll Have You

             Always Be

             Beyond the Beginning

             Scares Me More

             I Like You

             You Believe in Me

             Wish It Away

             The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

             Hero In Me

             What Can I Do