A Cajun Christmas

            It’s early December when high-school junior, Cathy Romero flees her emotionally abusive step-father and runs away into the swamp that borders their small white-collar Louisiana suburb.  In the swamp, she debates her options with a friend on the phone until the battery dies and she finds that she is lost.  As night falls and the gators come out, Cathy is sure that hope is lost until she is rescued by Monty Callais, a Cajun teenager who’s family home-school him from their community in the swamp.

            Monty brings Cathy home with him and she meets a community of swamp people who are hesitant to accept her because of the way her city and its government act towards the natives.  Cathy quickly acclimates and finds that she can learn a lot from these seemingly primitive people.  She even begins to have a relationship with Monty.  One of the biggest problems facing the Cajun group is the horrible erosion that is slowly washing away more and more of their community, and Cathy thinks that maybe she can help.

            She re-enters ‘civilized’ society, though she continues to avoid her step-father.  She makes an impassioned plea before a prejudiced city council, and after overcoming many obstacles, she convinces the townspeople to sacrifice their Christmas trees to help prevent coastal erosion.  The people rally behind Cathy, and a massive joint effort is undertaken to save the swamp community.  All seems to be going well until a Christmas Eve storm traps the city-folk in the swamp.  This gives the Cajuns an opportunity to show their hospitality as they have a massive joint community Christmas.  Cathy’s dad shows up to ruin the festivities, but the Cajun townsfolk oversee their reunion and promise to keep a close eye in the future.