Prague Foster’s restaurant Vintage Fare has burned down. A metaphor for the mind, we trace Prague's journey navigating his depressive nature and return to function. At a cost. 

SYNOPSIS:

PRAGUE FOSTER’S restaurant VINTAGE FARE burned down overnight. A high functioning depressive, the incident catalyzes a shattering of his self esteem.

Onsite, Prague regroups with his bewildered staff. Led by his adoptive brother and head chef PACHECO, who is positioned to offer them seasonal employment at LA COCINA COLLECTIVA— a soup kitchen he is a board member of— while he and Prague administer renovation. 

MARA GRENNOCK, a corporate hopeful, manages “LCC”. Her secretive efforts in publishing a cookbook concurrently with Prague’s jeopardized the financial plans of Vintage Fare, souring their relationship.

At home, NICK equally placates and provokes his father’s stress, which we learn stems from cultural tension and multigenerational suicide. Prague’s EXTENDED FAMILY (namely Pacheco’s) lend their support in a religious manner, which only adds to Prague’s stress over stress. A shortage of coping skills combined with prescription fatigue debase Prague enough to seek therapy. 

Prague’s therapist RAYTHA LOVELACE, recommends a relatively unheard of treatment called Trans-Cranial Magnetic Stimulation supervised by her colleague DR JULIAN PASCALE. “TMS” could give Prague a renewed lease on life, minus the pills. But when he comes off his prescriptions too fast, he unknowingly suffers emotional consequences threatening his new approach to self care.

Pacheco tells Prague he has been approached to recommend a host for a cable access cooking program. Prague ideates the role as something to distract himself, yet his stressors haven't escaped Pacheco. Unbeknownst to Prague, Pacheco has been instructed to vet Mara as well.

Burned out but proactive, Prague meets with his ex-wife LIBBEY at Nick’s dive meet in the hopes Nick can stay with her temporarily while he navigates his treatment. 

Pacheco soon reveals he opts for Mara as host. Prague rages easily and reacts by picking up a trick, who later complicates matters.

Mounting anguish, Prague commits only to TMS and appointments with Raytha. During treatment, lightning strikes leaving Prague unnerved. Rather untimely, he becomes sickly and bedridden— piling on physical debilitation. Meanwhile, in collaboration with Raytha and NURSE HALTOM (they/them), Dr Pascale exacts his own conclusions regarding Prague’s myriad debilitation.

As another storm passes, Dr Pascale dials Prague to no success. His instincts suggest he pay Prague a fairly unconventional visit. Wending through Prague’s storm ravaged home, he finds him depersonalized— rapidly admitting him to institutional care. The storm concurrently impacts LCC where Pacheco has gone to confer the hosting job on Mara. While cleaning up, Mara further condescends Prague, leaving a departing Pacheco even more dismayed. Alone, the power trips and she misjudges the handling of kitchen equipment, severely injuring herself in the process.

Dr Pascale attends Prague’s inpatient recovery, revealing a misdiagnosis but explaining the confluence of an STD where its treatment tipped Prague into a Herxheimer Reaction, causing the physical debilitation and clarifying the emotional exhaustion from the prescription crash. The nature of Prague’s hospital admission requires he complete observation. Prague discovers through group therapy his depression dwells in genetic and environmental factors, thus giving him powerful context in returning to function.

Prague goes on to host the show, with Julian in the audience— who presents a suggestion of his own…