In Darkness and In Light

Kristianna Novak is the head of Research and Development for Berit Light Company, a small manufacturer of novelty light bulbs in Chicago. A photographer and artist in her spare time, Kristianna obsesses over good lighting, with designs for creative forms of artificial light constantly stirring in her mind. Berit Light Co. is not just a job for her, but a playground, an art studio, and the most all-around “marvy” place in the world.

However, Berit’s financial problems mean that the company will be bankrupt by the end of the year, unless someone concocts one of those elusive Million Dollar Ideas. Despite Kristianna’s best efforts to motivate her coworkers, she soon realizes she is the company’s only hope for survival.

Complicating matters is an outbreak of vandalism around the city, perpetrated by a group of eco-terrorists who sign their work with a spray-painted green leaf. The damage begins to hit closer to home until, in an effort to demonstrate society’s wasteful dependency on electricity, the group knocks out power to the city. With Berit closed due to the blackout, Kristianna travels to seek the expertise of a former professor, now retired and living off the grid in the northern woods of Wisconsin.

Traveling with her is her affable banjo-playing boyfriend, whose rare form of colorblindness causes him to see the world in black and white—literally. Their complementary quirks make them a natural pair, but an uncertain future casts doubts on the relationship, as Kristianna discovers to what lengths she’s willing to go for what she loves.