During the darkest days of the Revolutionary War, a cross-dressing actress and master of disguise leads a team of intrepid young spies against the British only to become trapped in the greatest act of treason in American history.

SYNOPSIS:

THE ROSE OF THE REVOLUTION

Tone & Style: Slow-burning, highly cinematic conspiracy thriller set during America’s desperate and nearly disastrous fight for independence during a stalemated war that seems to have no end. And while the tone is often dark and filled with life-threatening danger, treasonous plots, black-hearted revenge and grievous mistakes, there are many amusing moments of artful deception, cross-dressing chicanery and charming spy vs. spy cunning.

The historical zest of HAMILTON, the emotional power of THE PATRIOT, the multiple identity mischief of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, the propulsive tension and duplicity of BLACK DOVES and TURN and the sly period humor THE GREAT combine in a highly cinematic and gripping tale about the struggle for independence and the the brave young woman and her loyal companions who risk it all to keep America’s hopes for liberty alive when all seems lost. The stakes are high, the passions are intense and the pace never lets up in this rambunctious and unpredictable story world filled with flawed heroes, villainous traitors, shocking revelations and inspiring female guts and grit in the true story of Benedict Arnold’s treason and how close a fledgling America came to losing it all.

Story Overview:

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…” The Enlightenment principles of freedom, liberty and the right to self-government that have swept across Europe and taken hold in America. And after a decade of increasing taxation and unrest, the thirteen Colonies have declared their independence and taken up arms against the British.

But the Colonies are far from united. A third are Patriots wanting independence; a third are Loyalists favoring the Crown; and a third simply want to be left alone. And while the British have been driven from Boston, they have a vise-like grip on New York City and have strengthened their hold on Philadelphia, leaving Washington’s ragtag army out in the cold.

At a magnificent chateau near Paris, a spirited young Marquise and her two stalwart companions are eager to join the fight for liberty on the world’s biggest stage. And while their names have long been forgotten, their remarkable courage and bravery will play a huge role in helping America win its freedom and change the course of history forever.

Main Characters:

Dani Bonvouloir: Headstrong Marquise de St. Cyr and star of the Parisian stage smitten by Enlightenment ideals, age 25. Code-named “The Rose,” she sails to America to spy against the British with her loyal companions Noah and Bonnie. A brilliant cross-dressing actress, she gains John Andre’s trust playing the glamorous young widow Sophie Weston and the hilarious English fop Sir Percy Blifil. But her reckless behavior puts her in constant danger and she breaks the first rule of spy craft: don’t fall in love with the enemy.

Noah Boulonge: Brilliant young scientist, swordsman and inventor, age 25. Wows Ben Franklin with his solution for invisible ink and design for a hot air balloon, both of which pay huge dividends. Repeatedly warns Dani to cool her risky behavior, gets her out of several life-threatening jams and his romantic relationship with Bonnie is both heartwarming and hilarious. Champion of liberty, a true hero and a man far ahead of his time.

Bonnie Macintosh: Dani’s colorful feisty Scottish assistant and the artistic hand behind Sophie Weston and Percy Blifil, age 25. A master of disguise herself, she questions Dani’s increasingly reckless behavior but becomes the driving force in their frantic effort to save John Andre when he’s trapped behind American lines. Hot-blooded, hilariously funny and loyal to the core.

John Andre: Brilliant and charming British Intelligence Chief and Dani’s worthy opponent, age 30. Artist, poet, theater director and milliner adored by all and the essence of military fashion. The breezy air of a dilettante, but don’t be fooled: sharp as a tack and two steps ahead of everyone. Secretly plots with Arnold to surrender West Point, but when he sails up the Hudson to seal the deal, he’s trapped behind American lines. But he holds a secret that will melt Dani’s heart and turn the tables on her mission.

Benedict Arnold: American General jealous of Washington and embittered by a serious injury that ends his battlefield career, age 40. Washington makes him Military Governor of Philadelphia after the British leave and he falls in love with Loyalist firebrand Peggy Shippen, age 19. Tried for corruption and recommended for court-martial, Peggy urges Arnold to send coded letters to Andre offering to change sides. Deceives Washington at every turn and becomes commander of West Point, where his revenge-fueled treason almost succeeds.

George Washington: Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and the biggest man of his time, age 47. A towering figure, but chronically risk-averse and prone to mistakes. Fails to see Arnold’s treachery despite clear warning signs and forced to play a waiting game against the British, desperate for funds from Congress and help from France. Loses Dani’s loyalty when he hangs the captured Andre despite her pleas for mercy and apologizes after becoming President, but the damage can’t be undone.

Alexander Hamilton: Handsome young Colonel and Washington’s devoted Aide-de-Camp, age 23. Shares Washington’s blindness towards Arnold’s growing treachery and echoes Dani’s outrage when Washington decides to hang Andre as a spy despite Arnold being the true culprit. A brilliant and passionate man who goes on to become America’s first Secretary of the Treasury and architect of the Federal banking system.

Benjamin Tallmadge: Hot-tempered xenophobic head of Washington’s spy network in New York, Long Island and Connecticut, age 27. Becomes Dani’s boss when she and her team move to New Canaan to keep tabs on Andre in New York. Despises Dani’s French heritage and their relationship explodes when Andre is captured and Tallmadge turns him over to Washington despite Dani’s violent objections.

Sir Henry Clinton: Supreme Commander of British Forces, brilliant strategist and Andre’s mentor, age 40. Seeks a shining stroke to end the war quickly and encourages Andre’s secret negotiations with Arnold to turn coat and surrender West Point, which will dash America’s hopes for independence. Is heartbroken when Andre is captured and sends his full dress uniform to Washington at Tappan so Andre can be hanged as an officer and a gentleman.

Peggy Shippen: Leader of Philadelphia’s Loyalist girls whose ambition knows no bounds, age 19. Andre’s former girlfriend, she becomes Arnold’s lover and wife when the British vacate Philadelphia for New York. The Revolutionary War’s Lady Macbeth, she badgers Arnold into turning coat, claiming it’s not treason because Washington “turned against you first.” One of the key players in the amazing drama that almost ended America’s hopes for independence.

Ben Franklin: Ambassador to France, age 72. After the death of Dani’s father, who helped fund the war effort, Franklin fails to discourage Dani from joining the fight as a spy. Impressed by her determination, he code-names Dani “The Rose” based on her ancestral signet ring, offers his secret house in occupied Philadelphia as a base and gives her a special mantel clock to hide secret papers, all of which play huge roles in the story. And – the military alliance Franklin secures with France is the key to America winning the war.

SYNOPSIS

France, 1769. An exciting cross-country horse race is underway between two medieval towns near Paris as a dozen horses ridden by cutthroat teenage boys jostle and grab and do anything they can do get ahead. Leading the pack is ponytailed Dani Bonvouloir – a beautiful, headstrong girl of 16 wearing boys clothes, a tricorn and riding like the wind – and as she glances back ready to fend off any attack, we see a girl born to compete in a man’s world and give as good as she gets.

The horses race through the gates of St. Cyr, bedecked in colorful red rose flags and when Dani crosses the finish line first, the townspeople go wild and St. Cyr’s beloved Marquis awards Dani the coveted prize: a beautiful blood red rose.

Over breakfast the next morning at the magnificent chateau St. Cyr, Dani tells her father the Marquis that she doesn’t want to be an aristocrat anymore. She’s been reading the Enlightenment philosophers and is convinced that monarchy and aristocracy are contrary to God’s Will and that all men have the right to liberty, equality and self-determination.

The Marquis, who loves Dani deeply and admires her independent spirit, admits he’s not enamored with the social system either, but they were born to the aristocracy and that’s who they are. He is the Marquis, she is Lady Bonvouloir and stands to inherit his title when he dies. The conversation is bright and intelligent and full of clever ripostes and it’s clear that even at an early age, Dani is a force to be reckoned with and a woman far ahead of her time.

We move ahead to 1777 where Dani, now 24 and star of the Parisian stage under the name Danielle Duvalier, is swept up in the writings of Thomas Paine and feels the world is passing her by. In her dressing room at The Comedie-Francais, she tells the playwright Beaumarchais she knows he and her father have been secretly sending arms to America and has decided it’s time she serve the cause of liberty herself on the world’s biggest stage. Beaumarchais is aghast at the prospect of losing his biggest star when Noah Boulogne, Major Domo of her father’s estate, bursts in and says the Marquis has fallen ill and is dying.

Rushing to his bedside, the Marquis removes his rose signet ring, places it on Dani’s finger and gives her his final charge: “Help the Americans, my child, and do your duty for France.”

Dani, Noah and her feisty costumer-assistant Bonnie Macintosh meet with Ben Franklin, the Ambassador to France and offer to go to America to spy against the British. Franklin tries hard to dissuade Dani, telling her America is deeply divided and a hornets’ nest of conflicting loyalties and if she gets caught, she’ll be hanged. But Dani and her colleagues are determined, and Dani is certain that her acting skills, clever disguises and knack for playing male and female characters will fool even the sharpest eye.

Admiring their courage and knowing America needs all the help it can get, Franklin gives Dani the code name “The Rose,” offers this secret house in Philadelphia to use as their base and gives them a beautiful Queen Anne mantel clock he designed with a secret drawer that opens when the hands are turns twice around to 3, then back around to 10 past 1.

Taking Franklin’s warnings to heart, Noah transforms their heavy stage carriage into a war wagon with two weapons cupboards sunk into the floors and a pair of rear-facing 7-barrel guns behind portholes.

Eager to face the challenges ahead, the team sails for America on Christmas Day with the carriage and several trunks loaded aboard. Arriving in occupied Philadelphia in February 1778, they meet with Jeremiah Smythe, a close friend of Franklin’s who briefs them on the situation and gives them the key to Franklin’s secret house adjoining his real one, which has been commandeered by Captain John Andre, the dashing young British Chief of Intelligence. Smythe warns them to watch out because while Andre seems to be a somewhat effeminate dandy of fashion, he’s brilliant and sharp as a tack - which gives Dani an idea how to attract Andre and gain his confidence.

Dani, playing the hilarious English fop Sir Percy Blifil, a twin of “The Scarlet Pimpernel’s” Sir Percy Blakeney, enchants Andre with his airy worldliness and clever quips and as the two become close, Andre seems completely fooled by Percy’s subterfuge. Noah warns Dani not to take Andre lightly but Dani’s enjoying herself too much to slow down and starts sending reports to Washington at Valley Forge stamped with the red wax seal of the rose.

But Percy’s increasingly reckless behavior almost does them in. During a drunken card game, Percy annoys an officer named Delancey so much that he challenges Percy to a duel. Andre is horrified, but in a breathtaking display of swordsmanship, Percy humiliates Delancey. But it’s not over. As Percy sashays down an alley towards the secret house door, Delancey attacks and as he holds a knife to Percy’s throat, Noah springs from the shadows and kills Delancey, saving Percy’s life.

An irate Noah demands Dani learn to control herself or she’ll get them all killed. And after Noah sinks Delancey’s body in the river, Percy, playing the innocent, tells Andre he wants to apologize to Delancey and be friends. But Andre tells Percy Delancey has vanished and if any misfortune came to him, it was surely his own fault, He declines to investigate the matter further, leaving Percy to wonder why Andre seems to be protecting him.

Spring arrives with Dani playing the sophisticated young widow Sophie Weston, who endears herself to Andre and Peggy Shippen, leader of the Loyalist girls. Peggy has grown fond of Percy and when she asks where he is, Andre says he’s “off on some secret mission somewhere,” convincing Dani that Andre has no idea that Percy and Sophie are the same person.

Word reaches Philadelphia of an alliance between France and America, which means the French fleet will soon arrive. The British decide to leave Philadelphia for the safety of New York and as Percy and Andre watch hundreds of soldiers board ships, Andre says the rest of the army will be marching across New Jersey – priceless intel that Dani sends to Washington at Valley Forge.

Peggy is furious the British are leaving and terrified of what the Patriots will do to the Loyalists when they reoccupy the city. But Andre assures her that Washington will permit no reprisals. As Andre and Sophie watch Peggy wail in tears cursing Washington and the Patriots, a strange feeling of love and kinship passes between Andre and Sophie that Sophie doesn’t quite understand.

After spending a miserable winter stuck at Valley Forge, Washington, Hamilton and Lafayette are thrilled by The Rose’s news that the British are leaving Philadelphia and marching the bulk of their army across New Jersey to New York – making them a vulnerable target. As preparations are made to pursue them, General Benedict Arnold arrives from Saratoga partially recovered from his gruesome leg injury, wearing a huge walking boot and limping badly.

Clearly unfit for field command, Washington appoints Arnold Military Governor of Philadelphia. Furious at being sidelined, Washington insists it’s a vital position requiring a man of extraordinary talent and skill to bring Philadelphia together again. Arnold warms to the flattery and as he leaves Valley Forge, sees a golden opportunity to get rich. It is a badly misguided appointment and launches Arnold on a treasonous path that almost costs America its independence.

The armies meet at Monmouth, New Jersey in late June and in what could have been a decisive victory, the British manage to reach New York, prolonging the war indefinitely. Meanwhile, Arnold holds a peace conference in Philadelphia between Patriot, Loyalist and Quaker leaders and falls in love with Peggy Shippen, who has transformed herself from Loyalist princess to Patriot darling. Young enough to be Arnold’s daughter, the romance causes a scandal and leads to further trouble.

The vainglorious Arnold is soon tried for corruption and recommended for court-martial and when Washington declines to intervene, Arnold vows revenge and the wheels of treason start turning. Peggy urges him to send secret letters to Andre in New York offering to switch sides and while Arnold balks at the thought, Peggy insists it isn’t treason when the other side has betrayed you first.

Dani, Noah and Bonnie are assigned to Benjamin Tallmadge’s northern spy ring and move to New Canaan to stay close to Andre. But the xenophobic Tallmadge accuses Dani and her team of being monarchists (“You’re French! What could you possibly know about liberty?”) and the insult cuts deep. Returning from a mission on the coast, Noah bursts through a roadblock manned by ten British soldiers and the team, using the carriage’s hidden arsenal of weapons, kills all ten in a thrilling chase. Tallmadge apologizes for doubting their courage but Dani tells him to go fuck himself, sealing a mutual hatred that explodes in tragedy a year later.

Andre shares Arnold’s secret letters with Sir Henry Clinton, who wants a “shining stroke” in the north that will end the war. He proposes the surrender of West Point, America’s most strategic asset in return for a British Major Generalship and £20,000, an enormous sum. Arnold knows he needs to get back in the chain of command to pull it off and while the risks are enormous, the prospect of fabulous riches and revenge against Washington are too good to pass up.

September, 1780. The darkest days of the war. The army is close to mutiny from inaction and Washington, needing a breakthrough, summons Arnold to White Plains and offers him second in command. But Arnold has other ideas. In a tour de force of deception, he says the command of West Point is far better suited to his painful physical condition. Washington is completely taken in and grants Arnold’s request.

Settled in at West Point, Arnold demands a meeting with Andre to confirm their deal. Clinton is reluctant to send Andre behind enemy lines, knowing he’ll be hanged as a spy if caught, but Andre promises to wear his uniform at all times and use a false name and when he returns, the fleet will sail up the Hudson, West Point will surrender and the war will be over.

Strolling along New York harbor, Sophie and Noah see the British fleet preparing to sail and send an urgent message to Washington that something’s about to happen. Washington knows there can be only two possible targets: the French fleet in Rhode Island and the fortress at West Point. Washington orders Arnold to double his defenses and travels to Hartford with Hamilton and Lafayette to warn General Rochambeau of the danger.

Andre invites Sophie to a party and suspecting a trap, Noah and Bonnie secretly follow her. As Andre and Sophie leave the party, Andre throws her in a carriage and races to the harbor. Sophie demands to know what’s going on and Andre says he’s saving her life. Clinton has ordered her death, but Andre’s taking her on a secret mission up the Hudson towards West Point to end the war and once it’s over, Clinton will forget all about her. As Sophie is escorted down the docks, she drops a note reading “West Point” and Noah darts from the shadows and grabs it.

Settled in aboard the ship, Andre drops a bombshell. “So tell me, my dear, what should I call you? Dani Bonvouloir or Danielle Duvalier or Percy Blifil or Sophie Weston or the Marquise de St Cyr or The Rose?” Dani is shattered. Andre played her from the start and her entire mission has been a failure. Andre reveals the West Point plot, which Dani knew nothing about, then drops another bombshell: he loved Percy and Sophie so deeply that he couldn’t bear to have her killed. And when Andre confesses his love for Dani herself and reveals the shocking news that they’re cousins, everything he did to protect her and her companions comes into focus and the two young spy masters fall hopelessly in love.

Noah and Bonnie race overland in the heavy stage carriage towards the Hudson Highlands. And as Andre and Arnold meet under cover of darkness at an estate south of West Point, Andre’s ship comes under attack and sails away, stranding Andre behind American lines. A badly rattled Arnold gives Andre a safe conduct pass and gallops back to West Point in panic as Andre, breaking his solemn promise to Clinton, changes into civilian clothes with plans for West Point in his boot and tries to make his way back to British lines.

Dani jumps ship, swims ashore, finds Andre’s discarded uniform in a barn, steals a horse and gallops to Stony Point where she reunites with Noah and Bonnie as Andre heads through the highlands in civilian clothes, knowing he’ll be hanged if caught. Dani, Noah and Bonnie know if Andre reaches British lines, West Point will fall and the war will be lost. But if they can catch Andre themselves, all will be saved.

A frantic chase ensues, but the distance is too great. Andre is captured and taken to the American outpost at North Castle, claiming he was on a mission for Arnold. The befuddled commander sends a courier to Arnold saying his man has been detained and sends another courier to Washington saying a man has been captured with plans for a fort in his boot. Tallmadge and Dani’s team arrive at North Castle and when Noah reveals Arnold’s treason, Tallmadge forces Andre to reveal his true identity and takes him into custody over Dani’s passionate objections.

Dani and Noah race after the couriers, but Arnold gets the message that Andre’s been captured and bolts. They intercept Washington’s entourage returning from Hartford and when Dani reveals herself as “The Rose” and tells them what’s happened, Washington is shattered. The plot has been foiled, but Arnold has fled to the British.

Andre is convicted of spying and sentenced to death. Dani begs Washington to spare his life, but the verdict is final. Dani and Andre spend a deeply touching night together reminiscing about Percy and Sophie and how much Andre loved matching wits with them, and the next morning Andre is hanged and a furious Dani quits Washington’s service and returns to France with Noah and Bonnie, cursing the name of liberty and all who support it.

But France proves no better. Twelve years later, as the French Revolution burns Chateau St. Cyr to the ground, Dani, Noah and Bonnie escape with their lives in the hot air balloon Noah has built and return to New Canaan. On July 4th, 1793, a letter from President Washington arrives commending Dani’s extraordinary service during the war in hopes of making amends. But Dani is unmoved. And while Bonnie and Noah tell her it’s time forget the past and live her life again, Dani can’t forgive Andre’s callous death. But as she tucks the letter away in the Queen Anne mantel clock Franklin gave her years before, Dani says that, in time, she took their advice and returned to the stage, “finding comfort in playing characters that weren’t me and pretending, if just for a night, that every play had a happy ending.”

We move ahead 40 years as Dani, now in her 60s, stands on the deck of a ship gazing out on the horizon like Greta Garbo at the end of “Queen Christina.” “One final chapter had yet to be written. In 1821, I was given the honor of escorting John Andre’s remains back to England, where they were finally laid to rest near Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey alongside some of the most famous names in British history. It was a fitting tribute and Johnnie would have smiled, for he had the soul of a poet and the heart of a blood red rose.”

Years later, an elderly white-haired Noah lays a rose on Dani’s grave. “When I look back on that dark and terrible time, I see a girl as bright as a candle flame, filled with ideals and determined to serve the cause of liberty. She had to act, and act she did, as valiantly and courageously as any man and far more bravely than most. But the war took its toll, and her heart was broken in so many ways that it was never fully able to mend.”

Commercial Appeal:

With the enormous success of HAMILTON, audiences are eager for strong Revolutionary War content. And this one gets to the heart of it – Benedict Arnold’s treason and the mistakes that led up to it – in ways no film ever has, driven by a gutsy but flawed and fallible young woman whose courageous personal journey through dark and turbulent times will connect with viewers on every emotional level.

THE ROSE OF THE REVOLUTION’S compelling story about one of the most crucial – and still relatively unknown – events in American history and how close America’s fight for independence came to dying in the cradle is gloriously cinematic, deeply fascinating and highly educational – a perfect example of entertainment and education going hand in hand to deliver an unforgettable viewing experience. And no synopsis can fully do justice to the incredibly powerful story told in the script itself.

“The script is very strong and the spirit of the story is never lost.

The Revolutionary War is captured brilliantly and the action here will

strongly appeal to a broad audience, especially females and young

adults." – The Black List.