KING WITHOUT A CROWN

A lost and angry teenager must find her estranged father, a king without a crown, and confront painful family secrets before she loses herself to a destructive path. Standing in her way are her mother's disapproval, the looming threat of legal consequences, and her father's own inner demons.

In the heart of Paris, sixteen-year-old Eleonora Gustavson finds herself at a crossroads, her anger boiling over as she lies on the hot pavement of a schoolyard. Two police officers restrain her while paramedics tend to a bloodied white boy nearby—an incident that has spiraled out of control.

Eleonora has always felt caught between two worlds. Raised by her successful white French mother, a prominent lawyer, she knows little about her father, Joseph Gustavson, besides his name and the fact that he is Black. The absence of her father has left a void in her life, one that is deepened by her struggles with identity and belonging.

After a series of reckless decisions land her in trouble with the law, Eleonora finds herself on the run, desperate to escape the consequences of her actions. Her mother, disheartened and feeling helpless, believes it’s time for Eleonora to face the truth about her choices. Seeking refuge, Eleonora turns to her paternal grandmother, whom she has secretly met over the years. Eleonora decides to seek out her father with the help of the grandmother. However, the grandmother warns her of Joseph’s troubled past, revealing dark family secrets about Joseph and that he battles mental illness like his father before him. She also reveals that he has isolated himself on a remote island in Sweden.

Driven by a need to understand her roots, Eleonora embarks on a journey to Gotland, Sweden. This trip becomes a profound exploration of both the physical landscape and her emotional struggles. In her quest to find her father, she hopes to avoid confronting her own turbulent life back in Paris.

As she traverses the island, along a road flanked by sheep and windmills, she finally spots him: sitting on a low stone wall outside a quaint cottage, typing away at a typewriter and laughing to himself. He dances and plays. He writes and laughs. An image of a mad man. He tries to ride one of the sheep as if it were a bull. A wild figure in a wreath of dried flowers, looks like thorns on his forehead. On his chest hangs a Seraphim star. For a moment, Eleonora struggles to reconcile this eccentric man with the father she has imagined. The sight of him brings a mix of awe and dread. She stops by the wall, feeling hot and sweaty after her long walk from the ferry to this remote house. He doesn’t notice her at first, but when he does, he looks at her without surprise as if he was expecting her.

Inside the small house, every surface is covered with images of Black and white people—painted portraits, newspaper clippings, notes, maps, old drawings, and yellowed documents. But one wall captivates her attention: all clues lead to a drawing of her, with a crown atop her head, highlighting the expectations and burdens placed upon her.

In their reunion, Eleonora discovers Joseph's battle with his own demons, a man lost in dreams of reclaiming a past he cannot change. Their relationship becomes a complicated dance of dependence, as she yearns for connection while fearing the weight of his influence. Faced with the painful truth about her family's legacy, Eleonora must decide whether to remain entangled in this destructive cycle or to break free and forge her own path.

Their tumultuous journey culminates in a harrowing chase at Stockholm Palace, where the consequences of Joseph's past actions come crashing down. Policemen and guards are chasing them across the courtyard.

In custody, the police seize the Seraphim star from Joseph's backpack, investigating it as stolen property. Joseph claims he inherited it from his family, stating that his great-grandmother Ulrika Montgomery received the star as a gift upon marrying Gustaf IV Adolf on the Swedish Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. She was the daughter of a Swedish nobleman and his enslaved African woman.

The historical implication of a Swedish black king arouses both revolutionary and reactionary in Europe. Furthermore it creates problems for Joseph who is now accused of the high crime of challenging the monarchy, and must therefore be detained.

As tensions rise, while Joseph is being escorted from one place to another, a right-wing extremist in the crowd open fires. In the chaos, Eleonora seizes a police officer’s gun to protect her father, and shoots the man who tries to escape. He survives, but when Eleonora turns, she sees her father collapse and die.

In the aftermath, a journalist uncovers a marriage certificate in France, between Ulrika Montgomery and Colonel Gustavson, linking Joseph’s family to a royal lineage, revealing a history that changes everything.

At Joseph's funeral in Stockholm, Eleonora receives the Seraphim star back and is named the honorary princess of Sweden. In a powerful, emotional gesture, she places the star on her father’s grave, marking her decision not to be defined by the past. Eleonora stands free from the shadows of her past, independent, and prepared to confront the consequences of her actions. Empowered by her journey, Eleonora emerges ready to carve out her own destiny and shape her own future.