Virtue | A Novel of Sustainability & Truth

A Short Story Based on the Novel by Geoffrey Holland

Greg Hammond is the 42-year-old CEO of the global media brand known as Starling. Then Greg collapses while pursuing yet another internet acquisition for his massive media empire. A heart issue nearly kills him. Across the globe at the family estate in New Zealand, Greg’s retired father, Poppy hears the news about Greg and suffers a stroke, crippling him and leaving him unable to speak. The Hammond family legacy – the Starling Media Empire – comes under grave threat from family infighting.

At the same time, another story is emerging. Thousands of miles away in Haiti, amidst the scourge of cholera and the suffering of the indigent, 27-year-old Czech anthropologist, Daria Kocanova—brilliant, defiant, driven— is launching her Bright Eve Project that uses the internet to help educate indigent women in the world’s poorest places.

As Bright Eve unfolds, Daria forges a close relationship with American doctor, 38-year-old, Marc Wren. Daria aligns with Marc’s Equitable Health Alliance non-profit hospitals in Haiti and Ethiopia to test her Bright Eve Project to help educate indigent women.

Meanwhile Greg Hammond has recovered from his very close brush with the grim reaper, but he is plagued by self-doubt. Then, at a glittery, European government reception, Greg crosses paths with Daria Kocanova. He is captivated by her beauty and self-confident demeanor. Greg uses his investigative resources to reveal more about Daria. Greg admires that Daria is committed to using her life to serve and elevate people in need.

Greg contacts Daria and arranges to meet her and get to know her better in her home city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Greg learns that Daria is focused on finding a donor to support her Bright Eve Project. Greg donates the two million Euros Daria needs for her Bright Eve Project.

Greg Hammond’s half-sister Lydia and her self-absorbed son, Andre learn about Greg’s intimate weekend with Daria. They set the tabloid media on Greg and Daria, leaving them at the center of a global media firestorm. Greg uses his own resources to blunt the media attention. At the same time, in order to protect his control of the family’s Starling media empire from Lydia and Andre’s treachery, Greg decides the best thing he can do for Daria and for himself is to break off his relationship with her.

Months later, Daria is now focused intently on her Bright Eve project. She travels to Ethiopia and meets Marc Wren at his new hospital in Tesfa, an indigenous settlement of displaced pastoral people, who are unable to survive on their traditional lands. Daria and her college-educated, Ethiopian colleague Abeba meet with the women elders of Tesfa to present their Bright Eve program for empowering the women of Tesfa.

Meanwhile, despite many months of being out of touch with Daria, Greg Hammond cannot shake his passion for her. He decides to bet on himself and ignore the risk to his starling leadership from Lydia and Andre. Greg wants Daria Kocanova back in his life. He learns that she is working in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, as Marc Wren works at his Tesfa hospital with people lined up seeking medical treatment, Daria is faced with her own challenge to win community support for her Bright Eve program. Daria inadvertently stirs controversy in the community over her questioning of a long-standing cultural tradition called FGC, or female genital cutting. As a consequence of Bright Eve’s threat to local tradition, one Tesfa family takes six-year-old Nani to an elder woman, who performs a ritual cutting on her.

Daria arrives with Greg at his Tesfa hospital the next day and learns about Nani. The child is now in Marc's hospital with a life-threatening blood-infection from having her genitals cut. As Nani lies unconscious, she is clutching her only possession, a blue plastic toy duck. Daria is horrified b by Nani's condition.

As Daria stands watch over Nani, who remains sedated, she is told that a man from the Tesfa community has come to talk with her. Daria goes outside and meets a young man named Cervantes, who is missing a front tooth. Cervantes has some advanced education and has a cheery nature.

As Daria talks with Cervantes, she finds him to be a gifted natural leader. Daria recruits him to be a voice for her Bright Eve Project. Cervantes agrees to work with Tesfa’s male elders to get them past the traditional patriarchy that has long defined their pastoral culture.

At that same moment, there is another unexpected surprise. A multi-vehicle caravan approaches Tesfa. There are several trucks loaded with Ethiopian solders flanking two official looking government sedans. The vehicles stop next to Tesfa’s hospital. Daria and Cervantes are stunned when the President of Ethiopia steps out of one of the government sedans. Daria is even more surprised and filled with joy when she sees Greg Hammond, CEO of Starling Media, is with the Ethiopia’s President.

After Greg being out of her life for many months, Daria is so happy that he came to see her in Ethiopia.

Daria introduces the Ethiopia’s President and Greg Hammond to Marc Wren and his Equitable Health Alliance team. As they tour Marc’s Tesfa Hospital, Daria uses the opportunity to steer them to the bed of the unconscious child, Nani. Daria tells the Ethiopian President and Greg the story of Nani having her genitals cut in the traditional Amahara cultural fashion. Nani is now in grave danger of dying from a blood infection. The Ethiopian President offers to take Nani to his nation’s best children’s hospital. Daria convinces Greg Hammond to write a story for his Starling Media publications about Nani’s fate and the deeply misogynistic cultural relic called female genital cutting.

Daria and Greg rekindle their romance. Greg commits to sharing Nani’s story in all of his media empire’s publications. Greg knows his new commitment to Daria and her ideals will put his control of his family’s media empire at risk. In the war for control of Starling with his half-sister, Lydia, and her narcissistic son, Andre, Greg decides it is time to bet on himself and the redeeming nature of Daria’s advocacy.

Back in New York, the walls close in on Greg. Andre, the self-serving would-be heir, launches a final assault on his uncle Greg’s control of the family business empire. Shareholders line up with Andre.

Starling’s biggest shareholder, Poppy, wavers. Greg’s media competitors jeer and attack him.

A vote is called for Starling’s shareholders to choose between Greg and his bold new course for the company, and Andre, who promises to maintain profitability as Starling’s primary objective.

On the day of reckoning, Daria comes to New York to stand by Greg. She informs Greg that thanks to his intervention in Ethiopia, Nani, the little girl victim of genital cutting, will survive. Daria also delivers a wonderful surprise plot twist that derails the treachery of Andre and his mother, Lydia. Greg Hammond retains his place as Starling Worldwide Media’s CEO. He vows to take Starling in a new direction that puts the emphasis on truth and being a force in service to nature, people, and planet.

Virtue is a story of courage, compassion, and redemption. It uses its moment in the reader’s eye to engage, entertain, inform, and inspire with a vision of the best kind of human future.