The story starts with two friends Hannah and Marie talking about Hannah’s new boyfriend. During this conversation they challenge social behaviour and social convention when it comes to dating. During this time they are being watched as they walk down the street towards Hannah’s home.
Once inside Hannah talks to Natalie about a book she is reading that she has borrowed from her boyfriend who she has a weekend away planned with the next day. Hannah has been engrossed in this book and when she goes to bed later that night she has a dream. What is unusual about this dream is that she dreams the next chapter of the book before she has even read it.
In this dream Hannah is the “author” of the book of this “real-life story” and her friend Natalie is the other girl held captive by a gang of human traffickers who are made up of other people in Hannah’s life. However, there is a Masked Man and his identity is not revealed – at this moment anyhow.
As Hannah and Natalie are beaten to earn their privileges it takes a moment of bravery and heroism for them to try and escape. However, their heroic attempts are in vain as it appears that they fail to escape the clutches of their capturers – but it is just a dream, right?
The shock of the dream wakes Hannah up and she talks to Natalie about her nightmare. She is convinced that there is more to this dream as she thinks it is real. Once she is reassured by Natalie that her nightmare is nothing more than a bad dream Hannah goes away with her boyfriend for a weekend away. As he puts her bag in the boot we see the mask in the car and the identity of the Masked Man is revealed – Hannah’s boyfriend is the Masked Man and one of the capturers. But it also poses the question – was Hannah’s dream just a projection of her immediate future?
The Human Exchange is a story challenging social behaviour and social conventions, female resurrection and the re-birth of womanhood while challenging the debate of who is on top between men and women and who controls who in the battle of the sexes in this dramatic tale.
© Scott Thompson
2013. All Rights Reserved.
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