The story

Frances Anne McMann – the matriarch of the McMann clan – was older and richer than God: the sole heir to a robber baron fortune dating back to America’s plunder-filled earliest days. Timber, land grabs, railroads, plantations…if it smelled like money, the McManns had their hands in.

When Frances – or Granny Fanny, as she was called behind her back – finally dies at the age of 96, her three known children and their families gather after the wake at youngest daughter Olivia’s home. Ostensibly, it’s a “celebration of life” but the not-so-secret truth is that nobody is celebrating Fanny, and everybody is vying for their slice of the multi-billion dollar pie.

That’s when a series of freaky surprises start to fall like a hailstorm of dominoes. A mysterious phone call from the last two people to see Frances alive during her final days of hospice care. An unexpected appearance by gonzo investigative journalist Nick Blank, who claims to be Granny Fanny’s abandoned bastard son. And an array of colorful characters who round out the ensemble and provide glimpses into the deep dysfunction of the McMann clan.

The Great Divide is a dark comedy and social satire about income inequality, dysfunctional families, America’s kleptocratic foundations, and the meaning of life.