An untold American frontier story …
North Dakota, 1905
After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, eleven-year-old Shoshana and her
family, Jewish immigrants, start a new life on the prairie. Shoshana takes fierce joy
in the wild beauty of the plains and the thrill of forging a new, American identity.
But it’s not as simple for her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village
and doesn’t learn English as quickly or make friends as easily.
Desperate to fit in, Shoshana finds herself hiding her Jewish identity in the face of
prejudice, just as Libke insists they preserve it. For the first time, Shoshana is at
odds with her beloved sister, and has to look deep inside herself to realize that
her family’s difference is their greatest strength. By listening to the music that’s
lived in her heart all along, Shoshana finds new meaning in the Jewish expression
all beginnings are difficult, as well as in the resilience and traditions her people
have brought all the way to the North Dakota prairie.