Zelimo, a Jewish farm boy, must find his place in America after his father and brother are killed in the family's desperate struggle to emigrate to freedom in the U.S. The tragedy that brought Zelimo and his mother to America is unfolded in flashbacks of Zelimo's memory during his most pivotal summer in the Catskills.

Zelimo is without bearings, set adrift in a brave new world - until he learns he must stand up for himself and follow his own path. Through the people he meets in his quest to find his individuality within, Zelimo discovers love, hate, oppression and hope in a circle of those that embrace, despise, acknowledge, admire, forgive and remember him.