The Soft Umbrella

Springtime in the heyday of Seattle's music scene. College is out, parties spill across the city, and one night ends in the penthouse of a commercial loft rented by drummer Keith Wade near the White City Projects. Among the crowd are Bryon Ward, an idealistic young man known for carrying a retractable black umbrella, and his best friend Myles Goodman, a self-effacing math prodigy and realist. Through Keith, Bryon meets Judy Malloree, a striking French-American woman. They are instantly attracted to one another and quickly fall in love. As Bryon enters Judy's world, where she moves with the allure of a femme fatale, he indirectly encounters Mark Ranger, forming a volatile love triangle. At a party Bryon throws at his parents' home, he discovers Judy and Mark together in a bathroom. Though both deny wrongdoing, Bryon and Judy break up briefly before reconciling under a "Friendship Pact," allowing Judy freedom to explore her youth. Bryon's mother, Jenny Ward, who runs the Ward Womenswear Boutique, gives him a plane ticket to Sydney to stay with his Aunt Rachel. There, he meets Allison Jorgensen, a Swedish expatriate, and they become lovers. Still, Bryon longs for Judy. When she writes that she misses him, he rushes back to Seattle. Their reunion is strained; Judy's passive aggression reveals her hurt over his departure. During an argument, Bryon strikes her and learns she is seeing someone else. Devastated, he ends the relationship for the second time. Meanwhile, the Ward family unravels. Bryon's father, Mel, unemployed and mentally ill, attempts to kill Jenny and is sentenced to eight years in prison. As Jenny recovers, she reveals Mel has long suffered from schizophrenia. Myles, now employed at MicrosysCorp, convinces Bryon to join the company. Allison later moves to Seattle with Bryon, and Jenny leaves for Sydney to recover. Eighteen months later, Mel is released early. Bryon sends Allison home and helps his father reintegrate. Judy soon reappears, claiming she has left her boyfriend. Bryon returns to her, convinced she is his eternal love. Though she appears reformed and introduces him to her family, old tensions resurface after Bryon encounters Mark at a party. Judy's renewed passive aggression and Bryon's suspicions destroy the relationship a third time. Broken and alone, Bryon considers ending his life, but a solemn salesman interrupts him, which he takes to be a sign of divine intervention. Determined, Bryon confronts Mark and uncovers a criminal operation. Soon after, Mel is murdered execution-style. Fearing for Judy's safety, Bryon gives her a diamond ring. She eventually accepts it, and they share one final night together as rain pours down. He leaves her his black umbrella. Returning home, Bryon discovers his father's body. Police arrive, and Bryon flees with Myles. Mark and his group pursue them, which results in a bloody chase close to a cemetery. Myles is sent away by Bryon, who then faces Mark among the tombstones. They exchange gunfire; Mark is mortally wounded, and Bryon is shot. Mark's accomplice attacks Bryon from behind, fatally wounding him. Myles returns in time to hold his dying friend as rain falls. Bryon whispers Judy's name before dying. The story becomes front-page news: Bryon is hailed a hero for exposing a Pacific Northwest crime syndicate. Four years later, Myles sees Judy boarding a bus with a child. She clutches the familiar black umbrella. As the bus pulls away in the rain, they lock eyes through the rear window. They never meet again.