Minnie Bromoff. Distraught, devout, fresh off the boat. She is one of
the nearly two million immigrants to arrive at Ellis Island near the
turn of the twentieth century. But Minnie harbors a terrible secret that
drives her to the New World. Arriving at age nineteen, she marries
Zelig, a fellow immigrant, who helps Minnie bring her family to the
United States. Zelig ardently tries to build a complete life with Minnie
but her past intervenes, casting a long shadow over their union. In this
vividly imagined historical novel, author Marilyn Parker unfolds the
life of the family matriarch, her great aunt. Minnie's determination and
sacrifices pave the way for her Russian-Jewish family to emigrate and
make it possible for the next generation to become American.