A workaholic's career is imperiled after his co-workers come back from a secret company retreat completely unhinged.

SYNOPSIS:

Nothing Nefarious is a cautionary tale about sacrificing what is most important in life for meaningless gain. Although the story addresses serious themes, it is done with a comedic attitude throughout.

Dave, a thirty-year-old Asian-American, and misguided workaholic who has failed miserably in his personal life, is desperate to solidify a merger with a Chinese corporation that will skyrocket his career if successful, or ruin him if it fails.

On the Friday before the final meeting with their Chinese partners, four of Dave’s most essential team members are sent to a mysterious corporate retreat that is meant to transform them into ideal employees. Instead, the four team members show up to work on Monday seemingly insane, with quirks that disrupt the office in absurd, and sometimes violent ways.

Failing to organize his team to prepare for their critical meeting, Dave reaches out to Lydia, his ex-fiancé who broke up with him over his constant neglect of their relationship. She helps where she can, but knows that what may be best for Dave is to throw in the towel and walk away.

Chaos peaks when Dave is forced to knock an employee unconscious for killing another employee’s pet goat and attacking others with weapons made from office furniture. The wild team members begin to turn on Dave, but calm immediately as Iris, the self-help guru that runs the corporate retreat, enters the office. Dave demands answers and coordinates a meeting with his boss and the Chairman of the Board.

Dave’s boss and the Chairman insist that there is nothing nefarious going on, and that the retreat has been used with great success for years, with the recent mishap being the only one.

Dave continues to press Iris and his own team for answers. He discovers that Iris drugged the four employees with ayahuasca, intending to derail the partnership with the Chinese, as the potential partners only wanted Iris’ secret to employee brainwashing.

Dave decides to work with Iris to destroy the Chinese partnership, not wanting to spread Iris’ techniques of manipulation overseas. The meeting with the Chinese executives ends in disaster, mixed with a little blood, and Dave’s career is destroyed.

After the cops have cleaned up the mess and made their arrests, Dave reflects on the lasting damage the corporation has inflicted on his personal life and psyche. He decides to reconcile with Lydia and maintain a better work-life balance.

NOTHING NEFARIOUS