LOGLINE: In the late 1700s, an American is sent to Russia to convince Catherine the
Great not to support the British Army against the American Revolution.
FULL SYNOPSIS:
We meet KIERAN SELKIRK (26) as he speeds across the Russian tundra in a sleigh. It’s
1775, and the American revolution is raging half a world away. But Kieran, an American,
finds himself here with SERGEI GORLOV (40s), an aging Russian soldier. They’re
heading for St. Petersburg; Kieran is on a secret mission that not even Gorlov knows
about. After meeting with BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Kieran was tasked with stopping
Russian Tsarina CATHERINE THE GREAT (40s) from forming an alliance with the
British. The Brits need more troops on the ground to defeat the Americans, and the
Russians need a navy—so an alliance makes sense. But Franklin warns Selkirk that such
an agreement would spell doom for the Americans. In St. Petersburg, LORD
SHETTLEFIELD, the Britsh envoy, is deep into negotiations with Catherine to make the
alliance happen. Catherine’s advisor PRINCE POTEMKIN (40s) suggests that they make
it official, as it would benefit both parties. But Catherine isn’t quick to judgment. She’s
also renowned for her sexual appetite, hiring women as “provers” to sleep with men ahead
of time in order to pick the “best” ones for her pleasure.
Selkirk soon meets ANNE, the daughter of Lord Shettlefield, and then is given a task by
MINSKI, one of Catherine’s bureaucrats: Gorlov and Selkirk are to escort a cadre of
“provers” from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The road will be littered with dangerous
COSSACKS, and if they’re not careful, they might be ambushed. Selkirk, knowing he
needs to ingratiate himself with the Russians, agrees. He and Gorlov set out on the road to
Moscow with the women in a massive, ornate sleight. Amongst them are Anne,
CHARLOTTE DUBOIS (the daughter of the French ambassador), and BEATRICE (20s),
a young woman that prefers to remain nameless for much of the trip. The trip progresses
without problems for a while, but when they come across a group of cossacks, the sleigh
accidentally falls over. The cossacks attack, and Selkirk proves himself to be extremely
adept in combat. But Beatrice unexpectedly also shows her skills on horseback—though
she’s without a weapon. Selkirk manages to behead a man while riding on the horse, and
drives off the remaining cossacks.
After staying overnight at the house of Gorlov’s uncle, they head back to St. Petersburg to
