The Virgin King

Seventeen-year-old J.P. McManus is on the verge of greatness. A fiercely disciplined high school wrestler, J.P. has dedicated his life to one goal: winning the state championship and securing a future beyond the limits of his blue-collar Virginia town. Nicknamed “The Virgin King” by classmates for his ascetic devotion to training, J.P. has sacrificed everything—parties, relationships, even rest—in pursuit of athletic immortality. But beneath the sweat and determination lies something more fragile: his secret love for his best friend, Kate Garrity. Kate is brilliant, rebellious, and burdened with a dark home life. Equal parts muse and self-destructive force, she tests J.P.’s resolve at every turn—daring him to be more than the athlete, more than the stoic warrior his team and coach demand. Over games of pool, late-night confessions, and a shared loneliness, their bond grows deeper… and more dangerous. When Kate suddenly disappears on the morning of a snowstorm, J.P. must run—literally—through the blizzard to find her. But he’s too late. Kate’s death by suicide fractures his world, and J.P. finds himself spiraling, haunted by what he couldn’t save. Two days later, bruised and broken, J.P. enters a wrestling match he cannot possibly win. But what begins as a physical contest becomes something else entirely—a brutal act of defiance, rage, and grief. He’s disqualified in disgrace, suspended, and rejected by his teammates. Only his coach sees the truth: J.P. isn’t broken. He’s just begun to understand what real strength looks like. Told through poetic voiceover, fractured timelines, and stark winter imagery, The Virgin King is a raw and emotionally charged portrait of a young man at the crossroads of trauma, love, and identity. A story of physical triumph, emotional collapse, and the question every young person faces: what comes after the dream?