Set in Belgium in the early 70s the story follows the spiritual awakening of Chaja (Laura Fraser) the nonreligious 20-year-old daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her relationship with her parents is strained - her mother denies the past completely and her father (Maximilian Schell) spends all his time searching for two suitcases he buried in Antwerp during the war.A family friend (Topol) finds her a job as a nanny with a Hassidic Jewish family. She has little knowledge and sympathy for their way of life but through her love for the family's five year old mute son she learns to accept and respect a culture steeped in traditions to find the true values of life.
Set in Belgium in the early 70s the story follows the spiritual awakening of Chaja (Laura Fraser) the nonreligious 20-year-old daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her relationship with her parents is strained - her mother denies the past completely and her father (Maximilian Schell) spends all his time searching for two suitcases he buried in Antwerp during the war.A family friend (Topol) finds her a job as a nanny with a Hassidic Jewish family. She has little knowledge and sympathy for their way of life but through her love for the family's five year old mute son she learns to accept and respect a culture steeped in traditions to find the true values of life.
