During WWII in Seattle, a white-passing half Japanese woman covertly communicates with her Japanese-American lover imprisoned in a Californian internment camp, gathering evidence of government crimes to bolster ACLU court cases to shut the camps down.

SYNOPSIS:

Stage 32 Double Recommend

Top 50, Cinequest Screenwriting Competition 2022

Finalist, Richmond International Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2022

Quarterfinalist, Filmmatic - Pitch Now Screenplay Competition Season 4

Quarterfinalist, Screenwriters Network - SWN Screenplay Competition TV Pilot

Semifinalist, Stage 32 - Television Drama Writing Contest 1st Annual 2021

FORMAT: One-Hour [Serialized] TV | Historically Inspired War Drama | Premium Cable

COMPS: THE AMERICANS meets THE HANDMAID’S TALE

WORLD:

Ordinary farmers are cast as enemies when a fictional Hollywood film about

“Black Dragons” or Japanese spies is used as propaganda by politicians and

businesses for profit as Japanese Americans, and their allies fight back. The storyline follows

the historical events of Seattle, the camps, the ACLU, and Camp Savage.

ABOUT ME: I met a man whose family built their multibillion-dollar wealth off the internment camps and continues to whitewash their role. He recently helped censor a public art project about the camps by an artist I know. Combining my research with personal experiences, I want to show the human impact of propaganda, stressing the need to create allies and be politically active.

SERIES REGULARS

CORAL JOHNSON (24; impulsive, abandonment issues) is an orphan raised and hidden by the Sato family after her mother, a farmworker, died. After discovering she is half Japanese, she turns into a chameleon, appearing strong and alluring to infiltrate the worlds of politics and business. But can she always pretend to be someone else and not lose herself?

WARREN SATO (24; Asian), a guy with dyslexia, is struggling with feelings of inadequacy. He becomes a natural protector of his community at the camps and self-sacrifices. Others see him as a leader, but he sees himself as a failure, holding a secret self-hate of being Japanese.

A neighbor, FRANCES MCKENSIE (45) is black but passes as white, leads the resistance after the FBI takes her adopted child to an internment camp; she had no idea her adopted child was Japanese. Guilt-ridden because her first husband was killed for being with a “white woman,” she mentors Coral while trying to save her child.

HENRY JACKSON (28; white), a popular anti-Japanese Senator, proposes legally enslaving the Japanese. Partnering with the Remember Pearl Harbor League, he gains clout but is blind to the League’s true intentions. Inspired by the historical Senator Jackson.

Dec 6th, 1941: A peaceful, integrated farming community outside Seattle

CORAL struggles with abandonment issues. WARREN struggles with self-esteem as he applies

as a Japanese translator in the military. Warren is about to propose to Coral…

But Pearl Harbor and a movie about “Black Dragons” changes everything.Bank accounts are frozen, the FBI raids the Sato farm, and the military bans Warren. Then the

Satos discover Coral is half Japanese, but they hide another secret: She and her mother are

undocumented Jewish refugees fleeing the pogroms of Ukraine, and her mother was deported,

falsely accused of being a Russian spy during the “Red Scare.” They conspire to save her by

telling her she’s not part of their family—but she has Warren. Warren must go to the camps

with his family or else the farm will be confiscated. SEAN, his former best friend turned into a

conspiracy believer, betrays him. He tells Coral he will skip town but…

At the ferry, Warren confesses he is not coming. Coral turns to hatred…Coral leaves for Seattle destroyed, yet realizing something is amiss. She confronts FRANCES,

who reveals the truth and warns her the FBI may be after her. Overwhelmed by how the Satos

protected her, Coral joins the resistance, impulsively visits the camp, and sees the cruelty of

Warren’s mock execution with Sean’s participation.

She returns with anger and attends a Remember Pearl Harbor League protest headlined

by Congressman HENRY JACKSON, the man she blames for everything. He flirts with her,

and she asks for a secretarial position. It ends as she figures out how to secretly

communicate with invisible ink, and visits the resistance armed with knowledge about

what the government is doing...

She knows how to communicate with Warren, but they only have a week until the Japanese Americans are moved.

SERIES SYNOPSIS: The seasons break down into story arcs that follow historical events:

• THE CAMPS: We learn what happened before and what life was really like during the camps through Warren. We see businessmen and politicians weaponize propaganda and take advantage for purely economic reasons. Through Coral, we see the fight by allies to help: the programs they started, like the college student program, and how they smuggled information out of the camps to pressure the ACLU to step in and close them.

• RESETTLEMENT: We learn what happened after the return; many are left with nothing as they struggle to survive. Yet forces like the Remember Pearl Harbor League still plot to take advantage using propaganda and politics. Coral goes undercover and works with Franklin Wilmur of The Seattle Times to stop them, while Warren and the community fight back. The government simultaneously creates propaganda using Japanese American soldiers to whitewash the camps.

• RECONSTRUCTION: The fight for equality was earned when the Japanese Americans mobilized through politics, building bridges, and creating allies. Warren runs for congress, and Henry Jackson’s interactions with Coral transform him. Warren and Coral reunite so they can fight as a team. President Harry S. Truman signs the Evacuation Claims Act, but few can use it as backlash against the Japanese Americans seeking damages and threaten Warren’s campaign.

• ATONEMENT: Henry Jackson, guilt-ridden and still thinking about Coral’s story, now deals with his former allies who funded his campaign, such as the Japanese Exclusion League, who push him to sabotage Warren’s Agenda. He is now no longer sure who he can trust as he attempts to build a bridge with Warren and Coral. He begins to push for reparations but has to balance his action to prevent a backlash that could cost him the election.

In a world of grey, each character must decide what they will do to protect the ones they love while showcasing the corrupt money behind propaganda and the human toll it takes. When I was a child, a movement attempted to ban teaching about the Japanese internment camps in public schools. Over the last two years, similar events have occurred with the southern border, “Kung Flu,” and increased violence against Asians.

This is a story of yesterday and of today. This is the story of BLACK DRAGON.