Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
The Visa Crisis
A teacher lives alone while a Chilean refugee faces the expiration of his visa. Her lawyer sister proposes a marriage intended to keep him in Canada.
Key Events
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A Teacher Lives Alone — A teacher lives alone while maintaining a strained relationship with a married lover.
Location: Montreal
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A Refugee Faces Expulsion — A Chilean political refugee's visa is about to expire while he works illegally as a dishwasher.
Location: Montreal
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The Legal Problem — Annie, a lawyer, confronts the immigration problem affecting her client. Characters: Annie
Location: Annie's legal workplace
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A Marriage Proposal — Annie asks her sister to marry the refugee so he can remain in Canada. Characters: Annie
Location: Montreal
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Reluctant Agreement — The teacher reluctantly agrees to the proposed marriage.
Location: Montreal
Wedding Under Watch
The couple begins a civil ceremony, but immigration agents arrive before it is completed. They escape, and the family replaces the modest plan with a large church wedding.
Key Events
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Civil Ceremony Begins — The couple begins a modest civil ceremony intended to support the immigration arrangement.
Location: Civil registry office
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Immigration Agents Arrive — Immigration agents arrive before the civil ceremony can be concluded.
Location: Civil registry office
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Escape From Officials — The people involved escape before the immigration agents can complete the intervention.
Location: Civil registry office
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A Mother Plans Grandeur — The teacher's mother enthusiastically decides to arrange a large church wedding and reception.
Location: Montreal
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Church Wedding Arrangements — The improvised marriage develops into a public church wedding and reception.
Location: Church
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The Reception Takes Place — The large wedding reception takes place despite the marriage's original practical purpose.
Location: Wedding reception
A Marriage Interrupted
After the reception, the teacher and the refugee separate. Immigration agents soon return after learning what is happening and force the pair to live together.
Key Events
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The Reception Takes Place — The large wedding reception takes place despite the marriage's original practical purpose.
Location: Wedding reception
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Separate Lives Resume — After the wedding, the teacher and the refugee go their separate ways.
Location: Montreal
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Officials Return — Immigration agents return after discovering the nature of the marriage arrangement.
Location: Montreal
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Forced Coexistence — The married pair are forced to live together to make their marriage appear genuine.
Location: Shared home
Secrets Inside The Home
Living together exposes the refugee's nightmares and his history as a tortured political prisoner. Their practical arrangement gains emotional depth through mutual understanding.
Key Events
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Nightmares Revealed — The teacher notices that the refugee suffers from recurring nightmares.
Location: Shared home
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A Painful Past — The refugee reveals that he was a tortured political prisoner.
Location: Shared home
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Their Story Must Match — The couple invents a shared account of how they met in case Canadian officers question them.
Location: Shared home
The Story Becomes Real
The couple constructs a romantic account of how they met in preparation for questioning. The story touches the teacher, who eventually recognizes her genuine love.
Key Events
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A Romantic Invention — The refugee's romantic version of their meeting emotionally affects the teacher.
Location: Shared home
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Affection Becomes Genuine — The teacher gradually realizes that she has fallen in love with the refugee.
Location: Shared home
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Marriage Transformed — A marriage created for immigration purposes becomes an emotionally genuine relationship.
Location: Shared home
A woman agrees to a marriage of convenience with a refugee.
