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The Misunderstood: Children of the Sun
By Michael Stax Dixson & Richard Shaw Brown
WGA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REGISTRATION # 977444
Synopsis
In 1966 the Misunderstood, an ambitious anti-war rock band from small
town California, set off on a mission to England. In swinging sixties London
they forge a revolutionary new psychedelic sound, but on the very brink of
international success the heart of the band is ripped out when their lead
singer is drafted by the US Army. Torn from stardom and faced with war or
prison he miraculously escapes from boot camp and embarks on a spiritual
journey to mystical India, living for seven years as a monk in a primitive
ashram. With the discovery of a secret ruby mine, and magical jewels, he
becomes embroiled in further extraordinary adventures, his fugitive life
forcing him to live in the shadows, one step ahead of the authorities.
Children of the Sun is the thrilling true-life saga of the greatest lost rock
band of the 1960s and one young man’s quest for spiritual peace, personal
freedom, and survival.
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First he gets murdered then his adventure begins
The story begins in India in 1947; a time of violent upheaval, the partition of India
and Pakistan, when thousands are murdered in riots and fighting. Hrisikesh is an old
Indian monk who is fleeing the chaos and slaughter atop a train bound for the holy
town of Rishikesh at the foot of the Himalayas. Hrisikesh Baba arrives at his
destination only to be shot and killed in a blood-soaked melee. In a stunning
montage sequence, the soul of Hrisikesh is swept down a glowing tunnel, past
ancient images and into a womb – in America, where he is reborn as Richard ShawBrown II.
The next scene opens in Southern California; 1965. Rick aka Hrisikesh is 18 years
old, a surfer and lead singer in a pioneer psychedelic rock band, The Misunderstood;
based in Riverside, California. Rick and his group are completely wrapped up in their
revolutionary anti-war music and their ambition to share it with the world. But they
are severely constrained by the limited horizons of their small-town locality and the
grand hopes of their old-fashioned parents. To complicate matters, the Vietnam
War is escalating and the threat of the military draft looms over the band members
and their entire generation. Rick’s Father is an Air-force Colonel so the values
between son and Father are in constant conflict.
Encouraged by their mentor, an English disc jockey named John Ravenscroft (later
famous as the BBC’s John Peel) the Misunderstood decides to relocate to London,
England, where their music might find a more receptive audience. After a period of
poverty and hardship, a bonding between the players and their audience develops,
set against the colorfully exciting backdrop of Psychedelic “swinging 60s” London.
The Misunderstood captivates their audiences in droves, and is signed to a deal with
Fontana Records. Behind the scenes though, two greedy managers battle for control
over Rick and the group's soul. A lavish media-launch press reception announces the
release of “I Can Take You To The Sun,” the Misunderstood’s first single which is
met with rave reviews. The Misunderstood are poised on the brink of a major
breakthrough, but Rick’s numerous draft notices from home finally catch up with him
in London. Placing his trust in his management and record-company lawyers, he
follows their advice and returns to California to face the draft, fully expecting to be
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exempted from the military. Instead, he is thrown directly into boot camp, where
he undergoes a nightmarish indoctrination into the US Army. He realizes the military
is trying to turn him into a killing machine, and Rick resists every step of the way,
despite violent repercussions from other recruits.
On the eve of his shipment to Vietnam, Rick flees boot camp and becomes a
fugitive; living life in the shadows; without money, country, freedom or identity.
Meanwhile the band back in London disintegrates without their lead singer-song
writer. Hiding out first in Haight Ashbury during the Summer of Flowers and Love he
meets an old Indian, Swami Bhaktivedanta (Swamiji), who initiates him with the
name “Hrisikesh,” and advises he should go join Swamiji in India. Before departure
to India, Rick is captured by the Military Police, but manages to escape through
Hollywood to London, where he is sheltered by guitar-legend Jeff Beck and John
Peel. Now deeply immersed in Eastern religion, Rick’s ultimate goal remains to reach
India, where he hopes to find sanctuary and peace with the Swami.
Traveling under an assumed ID he finally finds his way to the obscure temple-town
of Vrindavan in Northern India. Unable to meet Swami Bhakti Vedanta, he takes
shelter with another Guru, Swami Bon (Gurudev), in an ancient Ashram. For seven
years Rick – now Hrisikesh – lives as a monk, his head shaved, courageously
enduring and overcoming the challenges of strict religious discipline, rancid food,
unspeakable health conditions and extreme illness. Simultaneously, he discovers
revitalizing knowledge and spiritual peace. This peace is devastated when a dispute
breaks out among the two Indian Gurus, the American FBI and the U.S. Military;
again over the ownership of Hrisikesh’s soul. Hrisikesh’s dynamic personality and
relentless search for emotional contentment create greater ambitions within him. So,
in 1971 he is swept up in the Indo-Pakistan War’s violence; yet he endures to build
two schools. In this period India’s highest leaders befriend Hrisikesh, including
India's President Sri V.V. Giri, who helps him escape from India; just as the U.S.
authorities are closing in on him.
Evading capture yet again, Hrisikesh finds a new sanctuary in Katmandu, Nepal, at
the end of the hippie trail in the foothills of the Himalayas. Here news reaches him
from an old friend about the discovery of a secret ruby mine in Southern India.
Returning to India barefoot and bereft of any ID, Hrisikesh is asked to sell rough
gemstones in the labyrinth of Bombay; thereby awakening a new calling within him.
Finally back in Nepal and through the wise counsel of a charismatic old Himalayan
hermit named Kali Baba, he discovers an ancient secret about flawless gems and
their significance within the astrological realm. His newfound visions for gemstonetalisman designs take him on many exotically dangerous missions -- to mysterious
Bali and mystical Nepal -- but his fugitive past continues to haunt him and thwart his
ambitions. With the FBI constantly on his trail unscrupulous people in whom he
confides dupe Hrisi. Consequently, he is left destitute in Asia; his rope is running
out... fast.
Just as all appears lost – with the Feds closing in -- Rick meets new friends who
inform him the U.S. Government has granted an amnesty to all Vietnam War
"conscientious objectors." With newfound hope and help, Hrisikesh returns to the
United States -- after 12 years on the run -- slipping across the border from Mexico.
His family had presumed Rick was dead in India many years ago. But, in a deeply
emotional scene, they are reunited: Rick and his father can at last make amends.
However, Rick must now turn himself in to the authorities and face all charges
against him as an outlaw. After a brief, comical return to the Army, and some nailbiting twists and turns within the legal system, he is finally granted freedom. Then a
chance meeting with a lady psychic, leads to a stunning revelation and the key to
Hrisikesh’s past life and ultimate destiny.