The Orphan From Shepherds Keep

Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a turbulent and unwelcoming world that is so filled with anger that love has become a luxury.The townsfolk describe him as "prettier than a boy should be," and ELI APPLE is embarrassed by such comments but soon learns to celebrate all the pleasures his beauty invites. An orphan, raised by eight monks in a rural monastery, he possesses the voice of an angel and while tending the monastery's flock, he sings in his tender falsetto as he roams the soft New England hills. Following at a distance, a rough, older boy, FERRIS COOPER, luxuriates in the traditional hymns ELI sings, while confused and entranced by the youngster's loveliness. And into both their lives arrives BENJAMIN BERGER, a serious young man who emulates the desires of those closest to him. The adventures of these three men become entwined in a surprising tapestry of love and betrayal over the course of thirty years. Straddling the worlds of music, religion, and art, and set in an era that begins with Ronald Reagan describing America as a 'shining city on a hill' and ends with Donald Trump's legacy of 'American carnage,' these characters come of age while America is coming apart. They celebrate as gay marriage is legalized and suffer as gun violence explodes across the country. And when a deadly virus threatens and nations close their borders, they must struggle to survive in an America they no longer recognize.