The warmhearted story of Polish immigrant and mathematician Stan Ulam, who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s. Stan deals with the difficult losses of family and friends all while helping to create the hydrogen bomb and the first computer.

Ela lives in a small provincial town in Poland. Her daily life is stuck in a routine, balancing work and family. But Ela has a dream: Like many young Polish people, Ela, too wants to escape the tristesse of the council housing estate and move West, into a better life.

Amid alcohol addiction, the mother's sudden return disrupts a chaotic Polish family's routine, leading to a rebellious teen sibling's disappearance, burdening the elder sister and pushing the mother to the brink of surrender.