In the year 1908 four families from East Frisia, which lies on the coast of northern Germany and close to the Dutch border, decide to emigrate to North America. They find a steam freighter in the harbour of Emden which takes them on board. After a rough crossing through the North Sea and a mysterious nightly stop somewhere along the Irish coast, the group, after crossing the Atlantic, arrives tired and weak one night at a dimly lit harbour and are made to disembark by order of the captain. They soon realise that they have not been dropped in the land of their dreams - America. A great adventure with unexpected ups and downs lies ahead of them.