SYNOPSIS
"I go to the synagogue, I go to the church, I go the mosque,
and I see the same altar, and I feel the same spirit." - Rumi
Set in 1974, In the Garden of Serai is the story of Katerina, a young Greek American woman, raised by her father in the homogeneous enclave of Astoria, Queens. She is a devout Christian Orthodox, obedient and always toiling to please. Katerina is content to forgo her own aspirations and yearns only to know more of her mother who died in childbirth. During the engagement party to her nationalistic fiance, Stamatis, Katerina's father falls ill from a heart attack. His last wish before dying is for Katerina to make a journey to her mother's ancestral home on the island of Rhodes in her parent's honor.
Against the wishes of her fiance and domineering stepmother, Pandora, Katerina makes the trip to Rhodes alone. On the sun-washed island, Katerina discovers that her ancestral home is a decrepit Ottoman mansion called Serai. Her mother was a Turkish Muslim! In an instant Katerina's world is turned upside down. Aside from her own prejudices against Turkey, she realizes that Stamatis will never marry a girl with Muslim blood. With the help of curious locals in the Old Town, some of who knew her mother as a child, Katerina learns more of the history of Rhodes as a melting pot of religions and ethnicities.
Katerina also meets a local archaeologist named Alex, who escorts her around the island. Together they explore the ancient city, swim in the sea and climb to the heights of the Temple of Lindos. In the oldest synagogue in Greece, Alex explains why he harbors no ill will against Turkey, as other Greeks might. In the past, the Ottoman Empire accepted Jews expelled from Christian Europe. His Jewish ancestors lived in relative harmony with diverse ethnic and religious groups for centuries.
Warming up to her Rhodian roots, Katerina makes another startling discovery. One of the elderly ladies turns out to be her grandmother, Ismet. Finally able to connect with her maternal ancestry, Katerina bonds with Ismet through old pictures and stories. Katerina has cleaned up the mansion and made it livable once more. She brings life to Serai and its gardens and even accompanies Ismet to the mosque.
Just as Katerina is finally embracing her Turkish/Muslim heritage and her friendship with Alex is blossoming, Turkey invades Cyprus. Greece and Turkey are poised for war. To make matters worse, Katerina's stepmother and fiance arrive on Rhodes to take her back to America. In a final blow, Ismet falls ill and dies. Preying on her weakness, Pandora convinces Katerina to renounce her Rhodian heritage and return to Astoria with Stamatis. With Katerina distracted by the loss of her grandmother, Pandora plots to sell the mansion for her own gain.
In a moment of truth, Katerina rejects the patriarchal system that kept her from realizing her own dreams. She stands up to the chauvinistic Stamatis and saves her ancestral home from Pandora. Reconciling her Greek/Christian and Turkish/Muslim heritage, Katerina declares herself a citizen of the world. The threat of war between Greece and Turkey dissolves. Katerina finds true love with Alex and together they dedicate Serai as a center for reparations between the two countries, acknowledging that the greatest religion of all is love.
WGA: Treatment Registration No. 1343047 and Screenplay Registration No. 1344413
