A meticulous queer BDSM practitioner must confront his latent canine-based trauma when an impulsive career-saving weekend trip to a beloved new client's family unveils a harrowing obsession with their dead pet dog. FEMME meets SPEAK NO EVIL. 

SYNOPSIS:

FEMME meets SPEAK NO EVIL

In present day Manchester, asexual BDSM chamber receptionist KYLIAN 'KY' LAUDER (30) lives in a state of growing malaise. Migrated to the city’s Gay District years before, his meticulous dedication to learning the therapeutic benefits of BDSM is tarred by the memory of being attacked by a dog in a homophobic assault aged 16, leaving him with self-conscious thigh scars, a phobia of canines, and a rooted prejudice against ‘traditional families’. Having spent so long helping others achieve greater sexual autonomy, he longs for a deeper connection to help relieve his fears.

When no-nonsense employer TESS (30s) reluctantly considers letting a property firm buy out their renovated BDSM chamber to save on lease costs following their landlord's sudden death, Ky bites the bullet to embrace his BDSM Dom training in an effort to secure new clients. Wading through a mess of uninformed and stereotyping applicants, he finally stumbles upon polite yet anxious LACHLAN ‘LOCKIE’ WOLCOTT (20s): an asexual university dropout seeking to ‘rebuild himself’ following a crisis of self-worth.

Hooked by the young man's deft self-actualisation, Ky tests Lockie’s resolve with preliminary sessions, eventually taking him on as a new high-paying ‘sub’ client. As their sessions continue, the ‘dom’ grows increasingly fond of Lockie, bonding in aftercare over the (seeming) coincidence of hiding their asexuality from their families by pretending to be gay, deeming it ‘easier for them to handle’. Pushing his sub’s endurance further, Ky even feels the stirrings of romantic attraction…until Lockie makes a request: ‘pup play’ - the art of acting like a dog for a dominant ‘master’.

Facing down his cynophobia, Ky attempts to adapt, only to suffer a panic attack when Lockie bites his scarred thigh during a ‘scene’, disrupting their aftercare. Finding his client gone the next morning and on unresponsive to messages, a guilt-riddem Ky fears he has blown his chance.

Until the dawn of Pride Month, when Lockie suddenly replies. The bad news: he's moving to Carlisle with his retiring parents and won't be able to attend sessions anymore. The ‘good’ news: his parents wish to meet and thank him in person for ‘making their son anew’.

Faced with the chamber’s closure following an act of vandalism, and unwilling to face corporate pinkwashing at Manchester Pride, Ky impulsively gives in to temptation. Driven from Carlisle station to the Wolcotts’ modern yet isolated home in the countryside, Ky is swiftly introduced to Lockie's liberal family: homely vet receptionist LINDA (50s), straight-talking sales manager STEPHEN (60), and lesbian law trainee sister NICA (20s). While the down-to-earth yet harmless parents welcome him with open arms, the stand-offish Nica seems to see right through Ky's white lies about his profession as a ‘people manager’, setting him and Lockie on edge. Worse still: the parents are in deep grief over the recent loss of their beloved pet Alsatian…also named ‘Lockie’.

Initially brushing off his nerves as wanting to make a good impression while keeping the truth of his and Lockie’s master/sub relationship under wraps, Ky can't help growing unnerved by strange events in and out the home seeming to elevate his cynophobic anxiety -- numerous canine keepsakes; Lockie’s attempts to enact ‘pup play’ with his parents within reach; a disconcerting game of Hide-and-Seek in the nearby woods; and Nica's growing insistence he leave the home ‘while he has the chance’ .

As secret after secret spills out -- including Steven and Linda's strained sexual relationship; Nica privately asserting she is pansexual (not lesbian) while attempting to flee with a bag of cash; and Lockie attempting to ‘solve’ Ky's cynophobia -- Ky realizes he may be way in over his head.

His anxiety reaching fever pitch, he finally confesses his true profession to protect Lockie’s feelings…only to be met with applause, as the parents knew the whole time: they accidentally discovered Lockie using Steven’s credit card to pay for BDSM sessions, and requested to meet Ky in person to gauge he was ‘right to lead their son’. Even more stunning: they want to pay Ky £50k from their savings (the bag of cash, withdrawn specially for Ky) to cover the BDSM chamber’s lease, allowing it to remain open.

Initially humiliated, Lockie is encouraged by a relieved Ky to finally come out as asexual to his surprisingly accepting parents, stating the sessions were never sexually motivated and only to ‘rebuild himself’.

Decrying Nica’s warnings as she is seemingly driven away from home, Ky basks in the Wolcotts’ acceptance, culminating in a final ‘pup play’ session with Lockie on Saturday night (while the parents go out), ultimately deciding to continue with him as a client and even admit his growing romantic feelings.

But come Sunday dinner, a twisted revelation sees Ky discover everything he thought he knew about the Wolcotts collapse in horrific fashion...