Germany, 1945. As the Americans liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp, among the survivors are teenagers Emmanuelle and Jakob, who fell in love despite the suffering surrounding them. With help, they make their way to New York, resolved to make a new life on the Lower East Side, working at gruelling, poorly paid jobs.Decades later, Jakob has achieved enormous success, showing his son Max that America is truly the land of opportunity. Max is a Harvard graduate with friends among the wealthiest families in the world, and he chooses a perfect bride to start the perfect American family.