The Billion Dollar Search:

Twenty seven-year-old Alan Stengel was adopted at birth and never knew his biological father. An attorney visits to tell him that the man just died with an unusual will. Alan has an identical twin brother and, if Alan finds him within a year, both men will inherit about one billion dollars. If not, all the money will go to various projects to help the homeless. Alan enlists his friends to help: they check birth records, applications for drivers’ licenses, hospitals, social service agencies. Nothing turns up. Then he publicizes his search: he gets it written up in the National Enquirer and goes on a TV talk show. He offers a ten thousand dollar reward to anyone who helps locate the brother. The idea backfires. Alan is harassed by both the police and ordinary citizens who assume he is his brother. Then things get really bad. The talk show host invites several homeless people to tell their stories. They are sympathetic subjects, and the audience is swayed to their side. They boo Allen and want him to voluntarily give up the money. People find out where he lives and use his front door as a bathroom. His landlord says he has to vacate. His girlfriend throws her engagement ring against the floor. Homeless people all over the country hear about the search and descend on Oakland. They want to confront Alan and persuade him to let the money be used for them. Mayors and other local politicians are eager to provide large numbers of homeless people with transportation out of their towns. Soon Oakland is overwhelmed and a citizen’s committee is formed to ask Alan to leave. Alan initially defends his right to the money. He argues that no one demands that people like the Bushes and Kennedys, who inherited vast sums of money, give it back. But he also begins feeling sympathetic to the plight of the homeless. Please contact me by calling 510-339-8085 or emailing fredlvtt@gmail.com. One group of the homeless comes from Minnesota. They are all bald because they’ve had an infestation of head lice. Some of the men wear false beards and mustaches that they found in a dumpster. Alan gets into a fight with one of them and rips off his beard. He looks just like Alan—he’s the lost twin. Alan and his brother use their money to build beautiful facilities for homeless people. Alan becomes the CEO and his brother the CFO. All of his friends get jobs within the facilities suitable to their abilities and preferences.