This is the story of a young woman called Elka, whose name is also the title of the soap. She is the daughter of Menzer, a billionaire in the real estate business. Elka’s life is full of drama, tragedy, ghosts from the past and romance. As a 24 year old young woman, she has had to go through murky waters. Her mother died in her arms when she was 16 (she had been stubbed).
The police found the knife in Elka’s hands and her hands were soaked in her mother’s blood. She had fought with her mother the previous week, nothing serious, but the police did not see that; all they saw was a troubled sixteen year old girl. The court found her guilty for man slaughter and sent her to juvenile detention for 2 years, to be sentenced as an adult when she turned 18. Elka claimed she was innocent, but no one believed her.
Being in prison was torture for her. She spent many months thinking about the person behind her mother’s death. At the age of 23 and while in prison, the investigators found new evidence (a video tape that placed her at a gas station, with her friends, at the time of the murder) that exonerated her. Now she is out of prison and out to get the person, who killed her mother, reconcile with her father, go to rehabilitation to fight the alcohol addiction and be with the man she loves (Jake, a man she had been in love with since she was 14).
Location
The story is set in Miami, a location chosen for its scenery and booming real estate business. Elka’s father lives here and his office is located in Menzer Tower, overlooking the beach. The key set locations will be Menzer’s home (where Elka grew up and is returning to, after leaving prison), the police station and the bar (where Jake works). Menzer’s home will play an important role, in understanding how the murder took place, and this is where, Elka’s relationship with her father will be portrayed. Elka and Jake will be making frequent visits to the Police department.
The bar sets the stage for Elka’s romantic future with Jake and it also shows the gap in social class (she is from the high class part of town and Jake is from a middle class family; his father is a math teacher at a local high school and his mother is a nurse). There will be occasional scenes at the beach and scenes from the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (where Elka is seeking help for her addiction) and the hospital (where Jakes mother works).
Central Characters
Elka is the main character of the story; most events will revolve around her. She is entangled in a web of drama, tragedy, and romance. She seeks vengeance, forgiveness and love. A woman in her early 20’s, she never got a chance to go to college; she is struggling with an alcohol addiction. She sometimes has nightmares of her mother’s death, which causes her to drink. She is in love and will soon marry Jake. She wears a cheap ring that Jake gave her; Jake’s mother had given it him for good luck.
Menzer, a billionaire in the real estate business and is Elka’s father. He is estranged from his daughter and finds it hard to talk to her. He buries his sorrows in his work; spending some nights blacked out on his office chair. He is a powerful man and has rich friends in high places. His rivals are his worst enemies. He secretly feels guilty for blaming his daughter, for his wife’s murder; but he is afraid to ask her for forgiveness. He plays hardball in his life but also prays every night as he goes to bed. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, but no one else knows this.
Jake is a 28 year old man. He owns a bar near the beach and he is Elka’s fiancé. Though he works in a bar, he has never tasted alcohol. He supports Elka’s effort to find her mother’s killer, often driving with her to the police department to talk to Michael. He loves her very much and he has a portrait of her, holding a flower, in his room. Jake used to visit Elka while she was in Prison and this is where their love blossomed. He plays piano and he has one in his apartment that used to belong to his grandfather.
Michael is a lieutenant in the Miami Police Department and he is Jake’s childhood friend. He is the lead investigator in the case of Christine’s (Elka’s mother) death.
First Episode
The first episode is a flashback to when Elka was 16 and the moment when she found her mother dead on the kitchen floor. It also shows her father coming home from work, to find police cars parked outside their house. Elka is seated on the sofa with blood on her hands, she looks withdrawn and confused. Officer Michael is writing notes as he talks to her. Most scenes of the first episode are flashbacks, which end with Elka looking at her parent’s bedroom window, as she is escorted to the police car waiting outside. There seems to be a shadow of a man standing at the window looking back at her; it was not her father…
Teen reception of the soap opera
The teens will love it, because the cast is of a young generation and the ensuing story is captivating. Most of the situations Elka was and is in, are similar to those facing most of the teens in the real world. The drama and romance will keep them glued to their seats, as suspense builds.
The American Styled Soaps
The American soaps are not confined to the usual conventions characterized in most of the soap operas. They have diversity and explore all aspects of life. Their storylines are more realistic and the scripts, the dialogs and casts are professional. The budget that goes into production ensures that the soap is a master piece. As a viewer outside the US, my primary concern would be the entertainment the soap brings to my viewing. Is it captivating? The American soaps do exactly that.
The soaps showcase the everyday life of the Americans, emphasizing on the American dream, the free democracy, the high class lifestyle; which the viewer outside America would love to have. The soaps are in touch with reality and do no major on superficial aspects, like other soaps from other countries. They have become pacesetters in the soap business as other productions outside America are incorporating this style.