A Russian Jew named Yankel Bogovnik, now known as Jake, has settled on New York City's Lower East Side, where he works as a seamster to save up for his wife and son to join him from Russia. Despite falling for a dancer named Mamie, Jake is overjoyed when his family arrives, but his happiness is short-lived as he struggles to reconcile his wife's traditional Russian appearance and cultural differences with his own desire for assimilation.
Hester Street
A Jewish woman from Russia arrives in New York's Lower East Side in 1896 to join her husband, who has already adapted to American culture, but struggles to adapt herself.
