At Portmantle, a gated refuge for artists on the Turkish island of Heybeliada, t
he residents are slowly convalescing. In the seclusion of its grounds, a curious
assembly of once-famous painters, playwrights, architects, poets and musicians
strive to recover their lost gifts and bring life to doomed creative projects. T
hey are given new names, removed from the time pressures of the world and its ex
hausting demands, and afforded all the privacy and autonomy that they crave.
