Frightened that the grippe will steal away the life of her beloved cousin Marija, the only family she has in New York, Karolina steps out into the cold and unforgiving city streets to buy chamomile flowers, a tried-and-true remedy from her old life in Lithuania. Meanwhile, her children struggle to navigate through Cossack-occupied Europe to reach the port of Hamburg and sail to America for a desperately sought reunion.

Set in 1901, Paul Jaskunas's multi-generational immigrant saga-in-miniature nimbly blends historical realism with a more feverish, dreamlike aesthetic to create a unique and arresting portrait of one family fervently hoping that America will make good on its eternal promise.