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The Dressmaker's Daughter

Adapted from my Young Adult novel published by Santa Monica Press in 2022. Romania 1940: A teenage girl studying to become a doctor, falls into a forbidden affair with her tutor. As war erupts, the Nazis invade and her family is killed, but a Romanian Iron Guard officer takes her as his concubine and sends her to nurse enemy soldiers. When her lover shows up with a group of partisans, she leads them through headquarters to kill two high-ranking Nazi guests of the officer. Her lover dies in the action but she escapes with the partisans sabotaging German supply lines.

Synopsis

Beautiful, spirited DANIELA, age 16, is living in Yedinitz, Romania in 1939 She dreams of becoming a doctor, but as a Jewish girl, she is barred from higher education. Her mother, who is dressmaker to the local COUNTESS KANYADI, hires her a tutor, the rebellious, brilliant MIHAIL. The two soon begin a passionate affair, abetted by PHILIPPA, the countess's sexy British nanny who is also sleeping with COUNT KANYADI. Philippa helps the lovers arrange their secret trysts in the groom’s quarters on the Count's estate.

When the Nazis invade Romania in July 1941, Mihail joins the partisans. The Count and Countess beg Daniela to flee to London with them, but she remains with her parents and brother—who are murdered within days. Alone, Daniela is sent east on the notorious Transnistrian Death March, where the Jews are murdered and robbed on their way to oblivion.

Daniela’s beauty catches the eye of Iron Guard commander, Major Dragulescu, and he forces her to be his concubine, sending her to nurse Romanian solders in the field hospital. The Romanians, Hitler's allies, are pulverized by the Red Army at Stalingrad but Daniela remains a hostage.

One night Mihail appears on a mission to assassinate two key Nazis visiting the major. They are associates of Eichmann, who is trying to ship Romania's surviving Jews to Auschwitz before Romania makes a separate peace with the Allies. Daniela leads the partisans into headquarters through a secret entrance.

In a pitched battle, the partisans kill the two Nazis and Major Dragulescu, but Mihail also dies. Broken-hearted, Daniela escapes with the partisans, who train her in sabotage and battle tactics. She throws herself into living on the run behind enemy lines, drawing courage from memories of Mihail and her family. When the partisans link up with the Red Army to attack German garrisons near the Ploesti oilfields, over 50,000 German prisoners are captured.

After the war, Daniela enters a Displaced Persons (DP) camp, where a friend of Count Kanyadi, recognizes her. He gets a message to London, and they arrange transport for Daniela.

The Count's luxurious townhouse seems like paradise, but Daniela only misses Mihail. Working as a nurse’s aide in a London hospital, she meets and marries brash American pilot ZIGGY BLOMBERG. In America, Ziggy grows wealthy as a building contractor, but his beautiful young wife remains haunted by her wartime experiences.

Script Excerpt

Written by:

Linda Boroff

Contact Author

Format:

Screenplay

Genres:

Drama Action-Adventure Historical

Starring Roles For:

A young Mila Kunis
A young Benicio Del Toro
Stellan Skarsgård

In the Vein Of:

Schindler's List
Sophie's Choice
Europa Europa

Posted:

02/24/2015

Updated:

11/28/2025

Author Bio:

Linda Boroff Film and Fiction Bio With References 650-996-2750 I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. My coming-of-age short story published in Cornell University's literary magazine, Epoch, was optioned to Sony and director Brad Furman. I'm represented for literary, film and TV by agents Sandstone Artists—Tammy Hunt and Jamie Bradley Below is a link to my short stories published in Cornell University, Dartmouth, McSweeney’s, The Guardian, Gawker, and many other publications.

https://lindaboroffauthor.com/the-writing-life/

Linda Boroff Website: https://lindaboroffauthor.com/

Below are links to my two novels and two novellas. My dystopian novel, Twisted Fate, a sci-fi medical thriller, was published in paperback in 2022. A pre-publication sample was showcased online in The Write Launch. My Young Adult novel, The Dressmaker’s Daughter, about a 16-year-old partisan in WWII Romania, was also published in 2022 by Santa Monica Press. My supernatural suspense novella, The Remnant, came out in 2024.

I wrote the produced feature thriller Fashion Victim, about serial killer Andrew Cunanan’s nationwide murder spree, ending with the assassination of Gianni Versace. It played in theatres and was reviewed in the NY Times. L.A. Times review of Fashion Victim by Kevin Thomas “…written by Linda Boroff and directed by Ben Waller, is a straightforward, well-paced, resourcefully made account of Andrew Cunanan’s 1997 serial killing spree that culminated with his fatal shooting of Gianni Versace. Low budget but accurate and well constructed insight into a modern mystery." **** I collaborated with producer Don Murphy (Transformers, Natural Born Killers) in writing the biopic Fast Fade about tragic film noir actress Barbara Payton. The script is ranked in the top 7% in Coverfly and has won a number of awards. Working with Tammy Hunt at Sandstone Artists, I am developing the limited miniseries Duty to Warn with writing partner Ellen Furman (she wrote The Infiltrator with Bryan Cranston and a new movie with Shirley Maclaine) on the 1969 stalking murder of Berkeley student Tanya Tarasoff, resulting in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on doctor-patient confidentiality. I have been hired though Sandstone Artists to adapt the thriller novel Scalpel’s Cut into a TV pilot. This is the first of a series of three high-action medical mysteries written by noted surgeon Dr. Richard Brown.

Testimonials, Coverage and Reviews Winner: Fellowship to St. Petersburg (Russia) seminar: Thank you for participating in the SLS/St. Petersburg annual literary contest. We were impressed by the strength and quality of your short story and would like to offer you a fellowship for the program tuition. We genuinely enjoyed your quietly powerful story at once direct and complex; beautifully achieved and thoroughly satisfying. All Best, SUMMER LITERARY SEMINARS Mikhail Iossel sls executive director (story was anthologized and published online at The Piltdown Review.) My novella, A Season of Turbulence, was just accepted for 30th anniversary anthology of Eclectica Magazine

Editorial acceptance for my novella A Season of Turbulence published online in Eclectica “Boroff's rhythmic language echoes the hard-boiled spirit of Chandler or Hammett. Overall, it's a strong story with brilliant dialogue, and an intimate knowledge of the attitudes and environs of Alaska. I highly recommend publication. Review of novella, A Season of Turbulence “Author Linda Boroff expertly braids well-developed plot, vivid setting, and exceptional lyricism by using utterly raw prose to echo the raw landscape.”—— Emily Wick writing in Prick of the Spindle **** As a journalist, I write true crime scripts like Redwood Tomb. It is adapted from my short story, “Saturday Night Off,” about a Santa Cruz homicide. ***** Comments on my new script, Redwood Tomb Peter Fuhrman, Cinematographer/DP 971-275-6264 www.peterfuhrman.com You're a talented writer Linda! I mean that. I've read dozens of screenplays from well known to unknown, and you have a talent. I also happen to love true crime stories. Anne Fair ACF Canyavotsaba We thoroughly enjoyed reading Redwood Tomb. It sustains interest throughout, and the dialogue and character development are excellent. We did read the brief scene you added at the end and agree that it is a very effective close.

Partial List of Writing Awards

Selected for inclusion by magazine “Eclectica” for its 30-year anthology of best writing First prize: The Writers Place Competition Current top 7% Coverfly ranking: Fast Fade Second Place: American Gem competition Top Ten Finalist: Bruce Geller Memorial Screenplay Competition Finalist: Eric Hoffer fiction competition (anthologized in Best New Writing 2011) Semifinalist: Table Read My Screenplay competition — Hollywood 2024 Semifinalist: Table Read My Screenplay competition — Park City (Sundance) 2024 Semifinalist: Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices Competition Semifinalist: Creative World Awards Short story anthologized in Modern Shorts: Fiction Attic Press

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Contest Results:

Bruce Geller (Finalist, Request to see coverage) [2010]

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