In 1941, the Nazis' brutal attack on Russia causes the flight of young Klara Grossman, who then meets and marries Warsaw-born Volya Warschawski. Their perilous journey east into Russia, and to safety, takes them to the exotic Asian cities of Tashkent and Stalinabad, where they are suddenly and ruthlessly separated. As their lives unravel, each enters a fight for survival, and a mother and her newborn daughter struggle to make ends meet. At the same time, Klara is haunted by the question of whether her biological mother, whoever she is, remains alive.