Stars on Her Shoulders

By Stephen Massicotte

Le Tr port, France. June 1918. In a Canadian Army hospital behind the lines, two convalescing nursing sisters - the clever Emma and the acerbic Helen - struggle with their unaccustomed idleness and take it upon themselves to educate Enid, the naive young nurse assigned to look after them. When news arrives that the duo will receive medals for their bravery, a controversy arises: it's not the same medal awarded to their male counterparts, and this is because they are women.

As they wage a campaign of protest, they realize that Helen's cynical wit masks deeper psychological wounds. In a time when men suffered shell shock but women were dismissed as hysterical, the nurses have only each other to rely on. To save Helen from a grief bordering on the suicidal, Emma and Enid must uncover the truth about what she lost the night of the deadly hospital bombing that landed them here.

Infused with a subversively funny gallows humour, this heartbreaking yet hopeful tragicomedy brings to life a stark systemic injustice, a historically grounded queer romance, and the vital, transformative power of female solidarity.

Cast of 5 female-presenting actors, with casting of at least 2 queer-identified actors encouraged

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1772017477
• ISBN13: 9781772017472
• Release Date: May 2027
• Publisher: Talonbooks
• Length: 145 Pages