The plot depicts one of the most important episodes in Jewish history – the mass emigration of Jews from the Russian Empire (including present-day Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland) to the United States at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. New York skyscrapers, ships symbolizing the transatlantic journey, and a cart representing the life left behind in the "old world." It is a scene imbued with hope and anxiety, characteristic of this period of emigration, when Jews sought religious freedom and a better life in the US.
