Birthmarked

1989. Married for thirteen years, respected scientists Drs. Ben Morin and Catherine O'Neil, each coming from a long line of respected scientists, felt like their destiny was set for them because of their biological lineage, despite certain environmental factors possibly having led them down other paths, Ben who always wanted to play basketball, and Catherine who could have been an alcoholic in being raised by one after her parents passed. In wanting to prove the power of nurture over nature due to their own circumstances, they applied for and received full funding in 1977 for a 24/7 twelve year experiment from the Gertz Foundation for the Sciences, Randolph P. Gertz III, in wanting to prove himself and not rest on the family name, encouraging applicants to be bold i.e. visionary rather than safe. That twelve years is coming to an end and thus they have to show their results. The experiment whose goal is to prove that no one is chained to his/her genetic heritage: to raise three children simultaneously isolated from the world in the country with only their approved stimuli to become contrary to their genetics. Child number one, adopted Maya, born to a long line of idiots, would be raised to become a genius. Child number two, adopted Maurice, born to a long line of violent thugs, would be raised to be a pacifist. And child number three, their own biological son Luke, would be raised to become an artist. In Ben and Catherine being bold and doing their "parenting" with love much like any parent, Ben, Catherine and Gertz have no ethical qualms with the research. The only other person who has been in their lives continually for the entire experiment is their assistant hired by Gertz, Constantin Samsonov, a defected Russian ex-Olympian in sharpshooting acting much like a nanny in having received formal training in child psychology. But as Ben and Catherine reflect on the past twelve years with the children still knowing nothing about being proverbial guinea pigs, they have to review critically how the experiment turned out in how they present their findings to Gertz, who has a so-called money back guarantee clause built into the contract, and the report which may be tainted by their own isolation over that time.