Frank has spent his entire life in a stuffy boarding house, tending to old and ailing tenants who vie for his attention. His routine disintegrates one night with the arrival of Diane, a young woman with a battered face and a trail of secrets. Convinced that Diane is running from a violent husband, Frank tries to help her in all the small ways he knows how, but her presence and the strange intimacy they share spark long-submerged feelings in him. Diane is oblivious. Any day now, she'll be able to escape her husband and her past for good. Just when her scheme is about to bear fruit, two detectives surprise Diane with the news that her husband has vanished. One of them, Becker, is convinced that Diane has killed him, and he has a pretty good idea why. But the other, Bear, sees in her a reflection of his own smoldering resentments and unslaked desires. Diane doesn't want this handsome young cop's attentions, but her resistance melts as he reaches out with advice, comfort, and a plan. First, though, she'll have to believe Bear's claim that Frank is responsible both for her husband's disappearance and the hitch in her escape plans, and that Frank's feelings for her are dangerous. But can the shy, sweet man who has shown her a hundred kindnesses really pose a threat? As Becker inches closer to the truth, Diane realizes she'll have to trust either Frank or Bear. But which one?

Forms: Narrative Fiction, Feature
Genres: Drama, Romance, Thriller, Crime, Film Noir, Independent