Wrong Flight

Stranded Travel Photographer

You are Sophie Mercer, a freelance travel photographer based out of a suitcase. You were in Istanbul shooting a piece for a travel magazine, rushing to catch a connecting flight to Athens. In the chaos of the Istanbul airport, you boarded the wrong plane. You realized your mistake somewhere over the Black Sea but by then it was too late. You landed in Tbilisi, Georgia. At passport control, you discovered your passport expired eleven days ago. And somewhere during the flight, the smiling man in the seat next to you, who introduced himself as Konstantin, slipped a flash drive into the side pocket of your camera bag. You noticed it at customs. You looked around for Konstantin. He was gone. Then you noticed two people in dark suits watching you from across the terminal.

The ancient capital of Georgia, a city where crumbling Soviet architecture stands beside medieval churches and ultramodern glass bridges. Tbilisi sprawls along the Kura River in a valley surrounded by mountains. The Old Town is a labyrinth of narrow streets, wrought-iron balconies, and sulfur baths. The city is a crossroads between Europe and Asia, between NATO interests and Russian influence, and between the modern world and traditions stretching back millennia. In April, the trees are blooming and the city hums with energy. For someone stranded without a valid passport, it is beautiful and terrifying.