LOGLINE

Ambitious 17-year-old Mary escapes her boring rural life to become a model in post-communist Sofia. Quick to grasp the rules of the new capitalist world, she makes an alliance with a low-ranking mafioso to launch Bulgaria’s first modeling agency.

SYNOPSIS

Bulgaria, 1990s–a time of freedom and hope, but also chaos, corruption, and crime. As the old regime collapses, a new society rises overnight–one where money talks, and rules don’t yet exist. In this void, the clever and ruthless see opportunity.
Miss Underworld follows the rise of Mary, a beautiful and fiercely ambitious young woman convinced she’s destined for more than the narrow life her village offers. When a modeling audition brings her to the capital, she dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of fashion. But after standing up to sexual harassment, she’s blacklisted and spit out by a system that punishes resistance. With her back against the wall, she makes a bold move–striking a deal with the mafia to launch Bulgaria’s first modeling agency.
Armed with charm, grit, and sharp instincts, Mary builds a monopolistic empire of young models. Success comes fast–but so does moral collapse. Manipulation, betrayal, and exploitation follow–along with violence, disfiguring attacks, and ultimately–murder.
Miss Underworld is dark and tragic, but also sexy, youthful, and playful. At its core, it's a feminist story–paradoxically celebrating female power in a man’s world while questioning the cost of wielding it. The show captures the glittering highs and brutal lows of the '90s, mirroring the seductive contradictions of capitalism itself. It asks timeless questions: How much is enough? Can success heal the trauma of poverty? And who pays the price when ambition knows no limits?