The War Between

Tone & Style: Gripping time travel thriller set in a tumultuous Civil War story world filled with famous historical and fictional characters, constantly shifting loyalties, life-threatening danger and the gruesome horrors of war. And while the tone is dark and menacing, there are many warm and endearing moments as people from different centuries learn to adapt and appreciate each other’s talents and sensibilities. But at its core is the powerful emotional journey of two men often at each other’s throats who pull together and forge an unbreakable bond as they battle against impossible odds to keep each other alive, pull off a miracle and find a way to get back home richer and happier than they ever thought possible. The internecine struggle of NORTH AND SOUTH, the searing drama of LINCOLN, the interpersonal tension of THE OLD MAN, the reversal of fortune of TRADING PLACES, the endearing camaraderie of BUTCH CASSIDY and the cunning high stakes gamble of THE STING combine in a highly cinematic and wildly unpredictable saga of courage, resilience and devotion set against the backdrop of the bloodiest and most divisive event in American history. Story Overview: Steven Turner and Kip Laramee see the world through very different eyes. Best friends at Yale 30 years ago, they’ve had a turbulent relationship ever since. Turner, a top surgeon at Georgetown who lives with his wife and teenage daughter in a wealthy Chevy Chase enclave, has never understood why Laramee, a laid-back bohemian bachelor chef and restaurant owner in Alexandria, hasn’t made more of himself. But Turner’s definition of success isn’t Laramee’s. He doesn’t want the big house or the latest Mercedes or the swanky country club. He’s happy in his own skin, loves his ’69 VW van and takes pride in culinary skills, even if it leaves him broke. “You’re a great chef but a lousy businessman,” Turner keeps telling him, and there’s a lot of truth to that. But he’s just not driven like Turner and is sure that his natural born charm and easy-going style will always keep the wolves from the door. But all that’s about to change. And in a shocking turn of time and events, Laramee will rise to stardom as Turner’s world comes crashing down in a bonfire of alcoholic despair. PART 1: BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH After an explosive and revealing argument between Turner and Laramee at Yale 30 years ago, we move to the present to see who they’ve become. In a hospital O.R. surrounded by high tech machines, an arrogant and supremely self-confident Turner performs surgery while joking with the anesthesiologist about his golf game and snaps at the nurses for not moving fast enough. Meanwhile over in Alexandria, a laid-back, Lebowski-like Laramee moves and grooves through an open-air market buying crates of produce and fish for his restaurant and putting it all his ballooning tab with a wink and a wave. At his lavish home in Chevy Chase, Turner dons the uniform of a Union Army Medical Captain with a distinctive green sash, leaves his phone and wallet on the dresser and joins his wife Ellen, a law firm partner and his soccer-mad daughter Becky, 15, who are planning their weekend. Turner’s going to the reenactment of the battle of Bull Run and taking Laramee, who’s agreed to go as his Orderly Private in an effort to patch things up after their latest fight. As Becky happily checks Turner’s doctor’s bag and pronounces him good to go, the strain of Turner’s and Ellen’s marriage is on full display, rooted mainly in Turner’s insufferable arrogance and his constant criticism of the less successful Laramee, who Ellen and Becky adore. At Laramee’s modest home in Virginia, Turner pours a shockingly strong Bloody Mary and accuses Laramee of being afraid of success. Laramee explodes, demanding they simply live and let live and as Turner backs down, Laramee says his Confederate ancestors would roll in their graves if they saw him in a Union uniform, jams a $5 dollar bill in Turner’s uniform coat for a lost Super Bowl bet, then rakishly tilts his cap and says “Let’s roll.” Laramee’s thrilled as they wade through the crowd packed with thousands of authentic-looking Union and Confederate reenactors and find Turner’s unit, the 16th Pennsylvania, positioned in the center of the Union lines. Turner’s a veteran reenactor, but it all new to Laramee and as the battle begins with a deafening artillery barrage and galloping cavalry sweeps, Laramee’s jumping with excitement like a kid on Christmas. Suddenly a huge thunderstorm rolls in and the reenactment dissolves in chaos. As torrential rain pours down and lightning cracks the sky, Turner and Laramee race for the woods and duck into an old shed in that’s been there since before the Civil War. But as they catch their breath and dry off, a bolt of lightning hits nearby, blows them off their feet and knocks them unconscious. Sunlight and the sounds of battle stream through the open door and as Turner and Laramee awake, they think the reenactment has started up again. But it’s not the reenactment – it’s the real Civil War. Having no idea what’s happened, they race across the battlefield in terror dodging bullets and shells, reach the Union rear and try to blend in. Turner finds a hospital tent and treats wounded men, but his modern surgical tools and Laramee’s lack of protocol raise suspicions. And when Turner argues insubordinately and claims they’re from the future, they’re arrested as Rebel spies and imprisoned in Washington. Intrigued by the arrest report, Captain Massey visits their cell and when Turner and Laramee tell him things about the coming war no one could possibly know, Massey realizes they’re telling the truth. But the court convicts them and they’re sentenced to hang. In a last ditch hope, Turner tells Massey that Lincoln’s son Willie is dying and only he can save him. As Turner and Laramee stand on the gallows, Massey storms in with a reprieve from Lincoln and takes them away as The Warden vows revenge. Staring at Lincoln in awe and as Massey and John Hay watch, Lincoln asks if they’re telling the truth. Turner and Laramee swear they are and when Lincoln calls 9 year-old Willie in, Turner examines him and finds what he knew he would: fatal liver disease. Turner offers to treat him and desperate to heal his son, Lincoln takes Turner and Laramee into custody as resident doctor and cook and reveals Massey’s White House role. Down in the kitchen, Laramee wins Mary over and they become an inseparable team. Turner treats Willie with penicillin and while the results are encouraging, Turner has only a small supply and once it’s gone, it’s gone. He knows Willie will die and his offer to treat him was simply a way to stay alive and buy time. At a lavish party for Lord Lyons, Laramee meets Kate and the two soul mates fall madly in love, infuriating Turner. Turner desperately wants to find a way home, but Laramee wants to marry Kate and leave his old life behind. A titanic argument explodes and when it’s over, Turner starts drinking heavily. Dobbs, The Warden’s henchman, sees Laramee and Kate taking a room at Willard’s Hotel and a crisis erupts. A convicted Rebel spy living at the White House and fucking the Brit’s daughter is a scandal that will bring down the presidency and when the Warden threatens to go public, Lincoln has no choice but to get Turner and Laramee out of Washington.After eight months forging deep friendships in the White House, Lincoln reluctantly sends Turner and Laramee off to war, something neither is remotely prepared for. But before they go, Lincoln makes them swear a solemn oath not to use their knowledge to change history. The war must take its course, and God’s will must prevail. It is an oath that will be tested in many remarkable ways. Turner and Laramee join the 16th Pennsylvania in the Shenandoah Valley as Medical Captain and lowly Private and everything goes to hell. Turner struggles with crude amputations and continues to drink and Laramee, furious at his situation, fights with everyone. And after a bare-knuckle brawl with Sgt. Major Watkins, Col. Hughes vows to hang him. Turner and Laramee have an explosive argument where Turner begs him to pull himself together and be a soldier, and after deep reflection, Laramee vows to change his ways and stay alive for Kate. Laramee proves himself in battle and he and Watkins become brothers-in arms. During regimental field exercises, Laramee cons Harrison to letting him ride his horse and blows all the troopers away. That night, when a cutthroat band of Rebels sneak in and steal the 16th horses, Laramee leads the troopers on a daring raid and captures the Rebs, takes the Captain’s uniform and returns with the prisoners, the horses and an amazingly smart stallion he names Mr. Ed. Hughes promotes Laramee to Cavalry Lieutenant and Laramee becomes a star. Jealous of Laramee’s success, Turner sinks into alcoholic despair and the night before the battle of Chancellorsville, Turner is too drunk to function. With their roles now reversed, Laramee demands Turner get his shit together and be there when the bodies come flying in. The words hit hard, Turner sobers up and performs life-saving surgery on Watkins when he’s gravely wounded in the stunning Confederate victory. As the tide turns and Lee marches north, Lincoln makes a surprise visit. He cryptically tells Laramee to follow his heart, then sits with Turner and demands to know what happens. Turner balks at revealing the future, then suddenly remembers the $5 dollar bill in his coat pocket. He lays it on the table and as Lincoln studies it, the silent message is clear: Lincoln will prevail, but the victory will come at great cost. Convinced the shed at Bull Run is a time portal to get back home, Turner forges a message from General Meade’s surgeon saying he’s needed right away. Laramee knows how desperate Turner is to get home and agrees to help, even though they’ll be hanged if caught. They head off on a dangerous midnight ride and as they finally reach the shed, a storm starts to whip and a searing drama unfolds. Laramee changes into the Confederate Captain’s uniform he stole and says he’s staying to marry Kate. He can’t go back to the 16th after forging orders and going AWOL and the only way he’ll stay alive is to switch sides, join his great-great-grandfather Col. John Laramee in Mosby’s Rangers and try to survive the war. Turner is shocked, but Laramee’s mind is set. He has nothing to go back to while Turner has everything. As they say a touching farewell, suddenly a Rebel patrol surrounds the shed. A desperate gunfight erupts and as the storm explodes, Laramee and Ed gallop off drawing most of the Rebs with them and as Turner fights the remaining Reb, a bolt of lightning hurls him in back into the shed. Trapped in a fog between the present and the past, Turner returns to find his wife and daughter have left and his house if for sale. He and Laramee have been missing for two years, the Feds have turned the world upside down looking for them and now that he’s back, there’s going to hell to pay. As Turner sits alone in the entrance hall of his empty house, he drops his head in his hands and starts to cry, the picture of a broken man. PART 2: A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME August, 1864. Laramee, now a dashing Confederate Cavalry Captain and his colorful band of Rangers hijack a Union train with Robin Hood flair. A reporter on board captures the event and in an glowing write-up, Laramee’s portrait appears on the cover of Harper’s Weekly as “The Gallant Captain Laramee.” Back at their mountain camp, Laramee and Col. John have a long talk about the war and while Laramee assures him it will soon be over, the scourge of slavery and insurrection will last well into the future. A letter arrives requesting an interview about the Harper’s Weekly story and while Laramee sees no harm, Col. John smells a trap and insists on coming. Masquerading as a reporter, Dobbs meets the Laramees at a remote tavern and as the Laramees leave, they’re captured by a motley band of The Warden’s mercenaries and taken to an abandoned fort near Harpers Ferry. Back in the present, Turner’s life is in ruins. He’s lost his job and his wife, the Feds think he killed Laramee and his appearance on “60 Minutes” is a disaster. The only person who believes his crazy story is his daughter Becky, now 18 and ready to start Yale. Living together in their house Turner has barely managed to keep, Becky is afraid that when she goes to college, Turner will fall apart. Suddenly Dr. Peter Straub, head of the Philadelphia Project, enters the picture. Not only does he believe Turner’s story, he shows him the old Harper’s Weekly with “The Gallant Captain Laramee” on the cover and a sidebar saying he’s been captured. Turner’s stunned by the picture and thrilled that Laramee’s alive and when Straub offers to send him back, Becky insists on coming. They’ll have three months to find Laramee, but in order to return to the present, they must be at the base of the Washington Monument at midnight on November 7th – the night before the presidential election of 1864. As Turner, in his Captain’s uniform and doctor’s bag, and Becky in a period dress and backpack, appear at the base of the Washington Monument, Becky looks around in shock. The Monument is only one-third complete and the Capitol Dome is under construction. At the White House, John Hay is delighted to see Turner again and smitten with Becky, but Massey is furious. The election is coming and Turner’s sudden presence could endanger it. Lincoln greets Turner warmly and thanks him for bolstering his resolve a year ago. Everyone’s heard about Laramee’s capture and while they insist Union forces didn’t take him, Kate received a ransom note demanding $100,000 for his release. Over Massey’s objections, Lincoln puts Massey and Turner in charge of the rescue. A frantic Kate is thrilled to see Turner and meet Becky and insists they stay at the embassy. Her father has offered to pay Laramee’s ransom but they have no idea where he is. Turner promises Kate they’ll find him and as Becky unpacks in her bedroom, the girls bond over the modern clothes and underwear Becky’s brought and Kate can’t wait to try them. Massey suspects The Warden is behind Laramee’s capture and sends Agent Pinkerton and his men to squeeze Dobbs. As the agents dangle Dobbs from the roof of his apartment building, Dobbs reveals that Laramee’s at Fort Mason near Harpers Ferry, guarded by 20 prisoner-convicts. As Turner, Massey, Becky and Kate meet in the White House, Mary storms in demanding to join the rescue. Thrilled by her courage, Kate and Becky also insist on going and a plan is made. The women will masquerade as missionaries and get inside the fort while Turner and Massey will enlist Laramee’s old 16th Pennsylvania cavalry troop, who aren’t far from Harpers Ferry. Col. Hughes is still furious at Turner and Laramee and refuses to help, but when Massey explains who they really are and why they went AWOL, Hughes orders Watkins, Harrison and the eager troop into action, calling Laramee the finest officer he ever had. The girls arrive at the fort dressed like travelling missionaries with Bibles and their offer to provide spiritual comfort. As the girls pray with the guards in the main room, Kate sees a guarded door at the end of the hall and knows where Laramee is being held. Midnight. All is quiet. As Turner, Massey and the troop sneak up and splash oil around the gate, Becky sneaks downstairs in her nightgown, smiles at the guard, zaps him with a Taser Straub gave her for emergencies, opens the door and stares in shock at not one but two Laramees as Col. John drawls, “Boy, you sure know how to get rescued.” Flames lick the gate and as guards race out with buckets, the troopers storms in and a huge gunfight explodes. A dozen guards are killed and during the melee, Col. John is shot saving Watkins. Laramee’s stunned to see Turner and Becky and his old cavalry troop but there’s no time to celebrate. If Col. John dies, Laramee will never be born. With Laramee transfusing his blood, Turner performs emergency surgery and saves Col. John’s life. On the train back to Washington and with Mr. Ed riding in the caboose, Turner tells Massey they can’t go home until the night before the election. Displeased, Massey orders Turner and Laramee to confine themselves to the embassy until then. Powerful forces are at work to defeat Lincoln and he can’t permit anything to endanger his chances. Laramee and Kate renew their passion, Becky schools Kate in being a modern girl with hilarious results, Laramee shaves off his beard and he and Turner don sharp new clothes, looking like James West and Artemus Gordon. Turner tells Laramee about Dr. Straub and assumes he wants to go home, but Laramee wants to stay and marry Kate. Under pressure from Turner, Laramee says he’ll ask her, and if agrees, they’ll all go back together. But Becky’s one step ahead of them. As Laramee broaches the subject at dinner, the adventurous Kate says Becky’s already asked her and she’s eager to go. Suddenly fate takes a turn. Turner sees an ad for “Hamlet” at Ford’s Theater starring John Wilkes Booth and Laramee, seeing a golden chance to have some fun, insists they go. They meet Booth after the play and when Laramee, playing a Confederate bigshot, whispers “Sic Semper Tyrranus,” Booth thinks it’s an order and tells them to meet tomorrow in the saloon across the street. Turner is furious, but Laramee won’t be denied. As Booth outlines a complicated plan to kidnap Lincoln, Laramee blurts “Just shoot him in the theater!” and Booth has an epiphany. Lincoln will attend “Julius Caesar” the night before the election and suddenly Turner and Laramee are trapped in a plot that will change history. Turner’s irate and Laramee’s mortified. They know they can’t kill Booth and change history, nor can Booth be suspected or arrested. But they’ve got to stop this attempt so Lincoln can win the election and see the war through. With no good options, all they can do is play along until they find a solution. Unbeknownst to Turner and Laramee, Becky – bored with being cooped up in the embassy – follows them to the saloon dressed as a boy and sneaks in the back door. Hidden among the crates, she watches Turner and Laramee meet with Booth. But after they leave, Dobbs walks up to Booth’s table and Becky, thinking fast, records it on her phone as Dobbs shows Booth prison sketches of Turner and Laramee, says a few words, drops his calling card, taps his nose in “a word to the wise” and leaves Booth staring at the sketches. As Becky races outside she sees Dobbs, ducks behind a lamppost and keeps recording as a carriage pulls up and The Warden talks with Dobbs. When Laramee sees the videos, he knows their situation just got worse. Booth now knows they’re phonies, and The Warden wants them dead. Booth, playing the innocent, tells The Warden and Dobbs that Turner and Laramee told him to kill Lincoln in the theater. Shocked at first, The Warden sees how to kill three birds with one stone and tells Booth to play along. They’ll frame Turner and Laramee for the crime and make Booth a rich man. Booth invites Turner, Laramee, Becky and Kate to Ford’s Theater for a private tour and after the girls leave to go shopping for Kate’s wedding, the gamesmanship begins. Booth points to Lincoln’s box, produces several keys and shows them the secret passageways and the derringer he’ll use to do the deed. The plan is foolproof. And Turner and Laramee know they’re in big trouble. Laramee and Kate get married at the White House and Lord Lyons gives Laramee a check for $100,000 as a wedding present. A photographer takes many pictures capturing the event and afterwards, Pinkerton tells Massey he saw Turner and Laramee with Booth in a saloon, then Dobbs spoke with Booth and then met The Warden. With the election only a week away, Massey confronts Turner and Laramee and in a tour de force of lying, claim Booth becomes famous and they simply wanted to meet him, just like they’d like to meet Frederick Douglass and Walt Whitman. Massey buys the story but insists they stay at the embassy until they leave the night of Nov. 7th. As the clock ticks down, Kate says the embassy box at Ford’s is right next to Lincoln’s and suddenly Laramee gets an idea how save Lincoln and neutralize Booth without raising suspicion. It’s a crazy plan, but if they can pull it off, they might just get out of this alive. Hay comes to the embassy and presents Becky with a box of pictures the photographer took at the wedding, including a beautiful one of Becky and Hay together. Hay screws up his courage and asks Becky for her hand in marriage, but Becky says they’re going home soon and it wouldn’t make any sense. Hay is heartbroken. And as Becky watches him go, her heart breaks as well. The streets around Ford’s are packed with election eve revelers. Turner, Laramee, Becky and Kate arrive at the stage door and Booth, dressed as Cassius, is in a frenzy. He gives Laramee an usher’s costume and wig, then suddenly yanks Becky inside to help backstage – a shocking move to keep Turner and Laramee in check. As Becky disappears, Laramee tells a rattled Turner to stay calm and work the plan. As Lincoln and Hay and go inside, Massey sees hundreds of police fanning out. And when The Warden appears behind him with a shit-eating grin, Massey knows something’s up. With the play underway and Booth playing Cassius, Laramee patrols the balcony corridor, unrecognizable in his usher’s costume and wig. Turner stands inside the stage door as Becky works the prop table back-stage; Lincoln sits in his box with Hay as Kate sits in the embassy box with Lord Lyons. And Massey scans the crowd looking for Tuner and Laramee as Pinkerton keeps an eye on Dobbs in the saloon across the street. The moves and countermoves begin. The policeman guarding Lincoln’s door goes out for a drink. Laramee opens the embassy box and nods to Kate. Kate goes next door and invites Lincoln and Hay to join her father. Massey walks through the audience looking for Turner and Laramee and as Caesar dies on stage, Dobbs slips out of the saloon and Pinkerton loses him in the crowd. Dobbs plants a dagger in the balcony lounge. Cassius’s last scene ends, leaving Booth free to operate. He tells Turner Becky is ill, leads him into a secret passageway and clobbers him with a brick, then throws on a monk’s robe, grabs the derringer and a hunting knife and races up the secret stairs to the balcony corridor. Laramee opens Lincoln’s door, lets Booth in and slips into the embassy box next door. Booth looks around in panic. Lincoln is gone. Suddenly he sees Laramee standing behind Lincoln, Lord Lyons, Kate and Hay in the embassy box. He tosses the derringer through the air to Laramee, who smiles and puts it in his pocket. Infuriated, Booth pulls out the hunting knife, takes aim and throws. Laramee yanks Lincoln’s chair back as the knife slams into the wall inches from Lincoln’s head. Booth races back down the secret stairs as Laramee rips off his disguise and grabs the knife. “You’re safe now, Sir!” and races off with Kate as Lincoln, Hay and Lyons stare in shock. The play is almost over. Booth ditches his monk’s robe, races backstage, grabs Becky, forces her downstairs to his dressing room, locks her in a closet and races back up the stairs. As Kate revives Turner, Laramee tells them to get to the Monument and races to find Becky. The play ends and Booth takes his curtain call like nothing’s happened. Laramee races down to Booth’s dressing room, sees Becky’s backpack and breaks the closet door open. Booth races in and as Laramee holds a knife to Booth’s throat, Becky Tasers Booth in the balls and he drops like a stone. Dobbs races up to the balcony with two policemen, “finds” the dagger he planted and shouts “The usher killed the President!” Dobbs and the policemen race to Lincoln’s box and find it empty. Massey races up and as Lincoln, Hay and Lyons exit the embassy box, Hay says Laramee just saved Lincoln from assassination. As Pinkerton arrests Dobbs, Massey hustles Lincoln, Hay and Lyons outside. The streets are in chaos and crawling with cops. Kate and Turner take off in a carriage with Kate at the reins. Laramee whistles for Mr. Ed, who bolts from the livery and as The Warden shouts “After them!” Laramee, Becky and Ed gallop off with mounted police in hot pursuit. Hay commandeers Lincoln’s carriage and races after Becky. Massey shoves Lincoln and Lyons in the embassy carriage and races after Hay as The Warden climbs in a carriage and races after Massey. As the mounted police close in, Becky jumps off and races down an alley as Laramee and Ed gallop the other way. Hay races after Becky and as he pulls her up beside her, Becky shouts “Get to the monument!” Laramee and Ed race down an alley and as the cops close in, take a flying leap into the river. Kate and Turner race up to the monument and find Mary waiting with a small suitcase, saying Miss Becky said she could come. Hay and Becky race up and Becky hugs Mary. As the cops race up and form a menacing cordon, Laramee and Ed gallop in soaking wet and join their friends. Hay bravely steps forward and shouts “These people are under my protection!” Two more carriages race in and as The Warden shouts “They tried to kill the President!,” Lincoln strides forward with command. “That’s a lie! They saved my life!” Massey glares at The Warden. “You’re little game is over! Arrest him!” But as the Warden lunges at Laramee, Ed rears up savagely and shatters his skull, killing him instantly. Massey dismisses the police and as they take The Warden’s body away, Lincoln, Massey, Hay and Lyons stand facing Turner, Laramee, Becky, Kate, Mary and Ed fifty feet away, knowing the time has come. Hands raise in sad farewell: Turner and Laramee to Lincoln and Massey, Becky to Hay and Kate to her father. Suddenly a soft breeze starts to blow, the light turns a purplish hue and Turner, Laramee, Becky, Kate, Mary and Ed vanish from sight. Lincoln wins the election in a landslide and as he stands on the balcony waving to a huge crowd of supporters, Hay stands just inside with a letter Turner gave him to be read only after they left. As Hay reads the letter, which contains stunning information about Hay’s future, Hay opens his pocket watch and gazes a cameo of the beautiful picture of him and Becky taken at the wedding. Dissolve to 1904. Hay, now the distinguished 66 year-old Secretary of State and standing in the exact same spot, closes his watch, which still bears the cameo of Becky and enters the office of President Teddy Roosevelt. We move to the present, eight months after the events of 1864. Ed grazes on the lawn of a magnificent mansion on the Massachusetts coast as Turner, Laramee, Becky, Kate, Mary and Dr. Straub relax on the beach soaking up the sun, everyone looking right at home. As they laugh about their good fortune, a flashback reveals what else happened on Nov. 7th, 1864: Turner, Laramee, Becky and Kate enter the Riggs Bank and deposit Lord Lyons’s wedding gift of $100,000 into a long term savings account, then go next door to Swanson & Son: Importers of Fine European Art and tell the owner, “We’re interested in some French painters you’ve never heard of.” With 160 years of compound interest, the $100,000 has grown to hundreds of millions and the account they opened at Swanson’s bought all the early Impressionist works of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Sisley and Pissarro before the artists got famous and the collection is now worth billions. The plan was brilliant and the reward well-earned. Straub says they seem to have a knack for this kind of work and when he invites them to be the Philadelphia Project’s A-Team, setting the stage is set for the further time travel adventures of Turner & Laramee.