Fired, broke and behind on rent, he finds a glowing portal in the back room of his grandma's old house. On the other side: a silent forest of purple leaves. And no one. He gives himself one year to prepare. Every tool, every bag of cement paid for with his own work, selling rainy-day fritters on the street. Then he crosses and never comes back. One rule: nobody can know. If the government finds out, they take the house.