Snowbound

Italy is under Allied influence with German presence shaping the politics of the region. British Intelligence conducts covert operations in a climate of secrecy, deception, and high-stakes negotiation over a hidden fortune. The wartime setting intensifies every encounter, turning the lodge into a powder keg of loyalties and danger.

The action unfolds in a remote Alpine setting in the Italian Alps, with a mountain-top lodge serving as the primary crossroads for espionage. A valley hotel and a chain of connected rooms create a claustrophobic backdrop where guests blend into a wider conspiracy. The snowbound landscape isolates the characters and raises the stakes as blizzards strand everyone together.

🕵️ Espionage

Blair is recruited by Engles to spy on lodge guests under the guise of scriptwriting. The operation relies on disguises, misdirection, and constant risk of exposure as alliances shift. Keramikos and Kellerman represent seasoned operators whose hidden motives drive the plot. The narrative hinges on who knows whom and who can be trusted in a web of secrets.

💰 Gold and Power

The gold reserves of the Bank of Italy become the coveted prize driving multiple players. Kellerman seeks to move the treasure to Germany to fund a fascist rebuilding, while others race to locate it first. The pursuit threads through the lodge, the auction, and the basement, culminating in a deadly confrontation as the building burns. The gold functions as a symbol of leverage, influence, and wartime ambition.

❤️ Love and Loyalty

Blair’s developing affection for Carla Rometta complicates the espionage mission, blending romance with danger. Carla’s shifting loyalties reveal how love can both hinder and sustain a perilous operation in wartime. The ending hinges on Carla’s choice to protect Blair and the gold’s secret, highlighting the human costs of war.