Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn
Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn is the second novel by American author Paul Watkins. It was published in 1989 by Houghton Mifflin and shared the Encore Award the following year. Plot introduction. The story is set on and off the Rhode Island coast where James Pfeiffer, age 20 and just expelled from college, starts working on a broken down scallop trawler against the wishes of his family. He follows in the footsteps of his father Russ, who now has an unexplained fear of the sea. James comes to learn the very real dangers  that exist in the present and truth about his father's past. Film adaptation. The story was adapted for television in 1996 for "Hallmark Hall of Fame", entitled just Calm at Sunset. Directed by Daniel Petrie it starred Peter Facinelli as James Pfeiffer, Michael Moriarty as his father Russ, Kate Nelligan as his mother Margaret and Gretchen Mol as his girlfriend Emily. Its music, composed by Ernest Troost, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.