Dr. Ashim Roy and his wife Ashley decide to spend Christmas away from stressful family gatherings and accept their realtor friend Ellie's offer to stay in her late mother's beachfront condo in Palm Beach. In exchange, they agree to transport Ellie's dog Bailey and cat Princess to her sister in Daytona Beach.
During the trip, the couple argues at a rest stop in Savannah, Georgia, and the pets run away. Panicked, Ashim and Ashley search for them but eventually continue their journey, stopping at a Jacksonville shelter where they adopt two similar-looking animals to temporarily replace the missing pets.
After delivering the "imposter" pets, they head to Palm Beach, only to be stranded by a major gas pipeline rupture and fire that forces evacuations on Christmas Eve. They spend the holiday in a crowded shelter, while the real Bailey and Princess are comfortably taken in by a kind farmer's wife.
When Ellie later complains that the pets are behaving strangely, Ashim and Ashley retrieve the imposters and return to Washington, DC. A pet therapist diagnoses the animals with separation anxiety. Meanwhile, the real Bailey and Princess are found by a farmer who saw the missing posters and arranges to return them.
Ashim and Ashley secretly switch the imposters with the real pets, leaving Ellie delighted with what she believes is the therapist's success. However, the couple is left dealing with the difficult replacement animals, leading to further conflict. In one ending, the imposters are confiscated and rescued in dramatic fashion; in an alternative ending, Ashim and Ashley take responsibility, retrain the animals, and eventually consider adoption.
The story humorously highlights the chaos, consequences, and unexpected emotional costs of what was meant to be a "free" Christmas getaway-ultimately totaling $3000.00.
Sudhendu (Shibu) B. Dhar is an international energy sector development consultant. He was inspired by his father to write on social issues to promote public awareness.This is his first screenplay, based on his marital experience of bickering with his extraordinarily intelligent wife. Many scenes in this screenplay are drawn from his real-life experiences. The screenplay follows a road trip from Washington, D.C., to Palm Beach, Florida, for the Christmas holidays with two pets. He has published many technical and non-fiction articles. He lives in Washington, D.C., Kolkata, and Goa, India. He previously owned a vacation home in Lantana, West Palm Beach, for fifteen years.
