Cape Canterbury, Florida

Cape Canterbury is a relatively small town in the Florida everglades. The insular population boasts of a proud European ancestry, and fosters a very strict culture. They are a very religious community, belonging to the "Old Catholics" (ie, extremely traditional, conservative Catholics who have broken away from communion with Rome), and very much look down on practicers of other or no religion.

Toby is the son of a prominent man of the town whom everybody respects, and so, of course, much is expected of Toby in every way. He always lives in his father's shadow.

When Toby is aged 10, a travelling community settles in the district known as "Kinzie Cove", on the border of the wetlands nearby. It is a poorer district on the bayou, many of the families live in boat-houses, and they are subject to the constant danger of mosquitoes and alligators. However, they are not 'hillbillies' or unsophisticated roughnecks, they are a well developed community with many skills and a diverse melting pot of cultures. Some of them practice various forms of 'magic', but they are a friendly crowd who celebrate their differences and welcome anyone and everyone.

However, the residents and government of Cape Canterbury are repulsed by these 'heathen vagrants', and treat them with hostility and contempt, making them feel as unwelcome as possible and effectively indirectly forcing their part of town to become a sort of 'ghetto'.

One day whilst wandering away from the oppression of his strict home life, Toby is playing near the wetlands and meets a 7 year old girl, Jessica, who is from the Kinzie Cove community. They become friends, and Toby visits her and her family often for several months. He knows that his father would be furious if he found out, so even though the girl's family welcome him into their home, he himself keeps the visits a secret.

In the end, of course, Toby's father finds out. His reaction is even more severe that Toby could have feared. He insights the town to outright hatred of the Kinzie Cove folk, and pretty soon there are outbreaks of violence against them. It culminates when a bomb is detonated in Kinzie Cove, which kills the girl's brother and uncle. The incident causes the residents of Kinzie Cove to reluctantly decide to move on for their own safety, and the residents of Cape Canterbury believe they have won a victory in ridding their town of those filthy gypsies.

Ten years pass. Toby's parents ensure their son is never confronted with impure distractions by forcing him to be involved in the Church, at first as an altar boy, then as a lay reader, and in the end as a seminarian (ie, a priest in training).

However, agaist all expectation, the community from ten years ago returns to Kinzie Cove, and this time there are even more of them than before. And they are no longer warm and friendly, they have not forgotten the treatment they recieved ten years ago. They are willing to co-exist with the residents of Cape Canterbury, but there is no love lost between them, and they believe Kinzie Cove is their rightful home which they were forced out of.

The story begins on the morning of the communities return to Kinzie Cove. How will the people of Cape Canterbury react to their new neighbours? Will there be fresh hostility and even violence? Can they learn to live in peace and tolerance? And most of all, what will happen when Toby, now aged twenty, discovers that among the returning travellers is the little girl he befriended - Jessica - who is now a beautiful seventeen year old?

Character slots:

Toby Montgomery - (The son of an influencial man of Cape Canterbury, age 20) -

Jessica Brooks - (A girl of the Kinzie Bay community, age 17) -

Other optional roles

(Toby's father) -
(The parish priest of Cape Canterbury) -
(Jessica's father) -
(Jessica's other relative; mother/sister/brother) -
(Leader of the Kinzie Cove community) -