"When the Great Depression hits, Florence Fein leaves Brooklyn College for what appears to be a plum job in Moscow-and the promise of love and independence. But once in Russia, she quickly becomes entangled in a country she can't escape. Many years later, Florence's son, Julian, will make the opposite journey, immigrating back to the United States. His work in the oil industry takes him on frequent visits to Moscow, and when he learns that Florence's...

Augie Schuler has always been desparate for the kind of love normal families provide, and when she meets Sunny Yamagata and her family, Augie thinks she has finally found what she has been looking for, and together the two girls pursue the fanciful dreams of youth.