START YOUR ENGINES.

Engines roar, dirt flies, and crowds cheer as a series of race cars tear through a racetrack. At the heart of this high-speed ballet is Mykola Koval, known in the racing world as "Myko," his car a striking blue and yellow, echoing the colors of the Ukrainian flag. He crosses the line first, but a biased ruling from Russian judges robs him of victory. His right hand woman and mechanic Yana fumes.  Myko, ego bruised and pride burning, grabs a mic and turns the crowd against the judges’ decision with a bold speech that echoes louder than any trophy.

But the cheers fade fast.

*Continue by using arrows

News of an imminent Russian attack in Ukraine forces Myko to rush home to Odessa while Yana hauls the race car back solo. Days later, war begins and missiles rain down across Ukraine. Myko, his wife Nina, and their sons flee their home in an old race car, navigating the now war torn streets of Odessa. On the way, they come across their son’s karate teacher, Mr. Petrenko, and his family stranded on the roadside. Myko helps get their car running, and the two families take refuge at Nina’s parents’ home."

With borders closing, the group hatches a plan to escape Ukraine, but it requires a quick stop at Mykola’s race shop to gather supplies and his big American pick-up truck, fondly named “Beef Cake.”

But their visit to his race shop intertwines Myko’s fate with that of his country, as a team of Ukrainian soldiers roll up in a nearly destroyed SUV, desperate for help. Myko is reluctant, but can't turn them away. While his wife Nina tends to the minor wounds of the soldiers, Myko gets to work on modifying their unassuming SUV into a vehicle for war. Bigger tires, tuned up engine, and of course, bulletproofing. It delays the family’s escape by at least a day, but Myko didn’t feel he had a choice.

With the soldiers back on track, Myko loads up his family into two cars (Including “Beef Cake”) and they head toward the Moldovan border, racing the clock before it closes at sundown. The sun dips lower with every mile, but the border is backed up and they sit in a painfully long line of cars waiting to cross.

Myko stares straight ahead, but his thoughts are elsewhere. Behind them, Ukraine is burning. Then it happens. No grand speech. No dramatic goodbye. Just a look. She sees it in his eyes, there’s no changing his mind.

Myko and Nina pull their sons in tight. One last hug. One last moment. Then Myko and Mr. Petrenko climb into the second car. Nina throws the truck into gear, swerves off the road, and tears through the field, bypassing the endless line of cars. Dust kicks up behind them as they disappear across the border, just as the sun touches the horizon.

Myko watches them go. Then turns the key and drives the opposite way… Against traffic and against instinct, back into Odessa. He used to build race cars to shave seconds off a lap. Now he must build them to outrun artillery.

*End of ACT I- Full story outline available upon request