SYNOPSIS OF 'RAIN'
Rain
is a young Bahamian girl who, after her grandmother's death chooses to
take an epic voyage by mail boat, leaving behind her very simple
and sheltered life on the rural Ragged Island for the big city of
Nassau. She hopes to reconcile with her mother who abandoned her when
she was just a toddler; however, her hopes and illusions are shattered
one after another as her mother's deviant and destructive lifestyle
becomes evident to her.
Nassau's
bustling harbor, larger than life hotels, crazed noise, traffic, and
hostile temperament mirror nothing of the quaint, peaceful farming and
fishing community she left behind.
The charcoal black
woman who meets her is proud in posture, bony and scarred but does not
resemble the photograph Rain holds and has so long treasured. This hard
mouthed woman is Glory, her long-lost mother. Glory takes Rain into the
valley of Nassau's urban ghetto – an area known as the Graveyard – a
small community of clapboard shacks with no toilet facilities or
running water, inhabited by gamblers, drug users, and prostitutes,
all enslaved by a culture of addiction. This godless place is to be
Rain's new home, and life, as she has known it, begins to transform
darkly.
Judged by others because of her mother's
appearance and demeanor, Rain is confronted with the cruel prejudices
of the world and is alienated by her peers and teachers. It is not
until the school track coach and her rebellious neighbor Magdalene
befriend her that her situation changes. With her God given gift of
speed, Rain not only makes the track team, but also challenges the star
athlete, Keva. This young woman becomes Rain's antagonist when Rain
shows promise for regional recognition and wins the coach's dedication
and affection. Rain's real antagonist, however, is her mother, and
running becomes a metaphor that reflects the spirit – and the struggles
– of both central characters.
Rain tells
the story of a young girl's voyage of discovery – to find herself and
her place in the world. Confronted by a mother she does not know and
an environment she dreads, Rain must catch her stride in the only place
that matters, the spiritual ground deep within her.
