The Brief

SCRIPT

In 1821, in the shadow of the impending Greek revolution against the Ottoman Empire, cholera is cutting through the population of Crete. In response to the people’s pleas for help, Vatopedi Monastery sends five monks and a powerful relic: the belt of the Virgin Mary, believed to perform impossible miracles. The Cretans flood the streets to venerate the relic. Emboldened by its presence, the people revolt. But their Turkish oppressors reign a monstrous show of violence upon them to quell the rebellion. Only two Athonites survive the slaughter, still carrying the belt. The monks frantically search for shelter and find it in the British consulate, befriending the skeptical Dominic and his faithful wife, Elizabeth. In the looming shadow of unceasing violence, Dominic is concerned only with getting himself and his wife off the island. Knowing the Turks want the belt, he duplicitously seeks to secure it for himself and deliver the relic to the Turkish authorities in exchange for safe travel. The monks must scheme to protect the belt, flee the island, and evade the Turks and even pirates. But when they are taken captive, their lives hang in the balance. Meanwhile, Dominic’s skepticism turns to faith as he witnesses a miracle and risks his own safe departure from the devastated island in an effort to save the lives of the Athonites and rescue the belt.