Part I. Motl - Cantor Pacey's son
The father of nine-year-old Motel, Cantor Peisia, is seriously ill, and his mother, along with her eldest son Elya, sells things. It is fun for Motlu to watch shoppers bargain and sleep on the floor when beds are sold.
Alya decides to give Mottle to the cantor for singing. The boy will learn to sing, they will feed him there, and Elya will receive money from the cantor. But Motl does not have to sing, he helps the cantor with the housework.
Neighbor Pesya gives the butcher his calf, with which Motl liked to play, she can’t feed two calves. A feast arrives, and Pesya treats the Mothl family. Mother cries, although crying on holiday is forbidden.
On holiday, the father dies, and Motl now has to go to the synagogue twice a day to read the prayer. All pranks forgive him, like an orphan, everyone wants to at least help the poor family. Pesya takes Motla to live for a while. True, once Motla is caught stealing apples from the neighbors, and the mother of great labor should be persuaded not to spoil her son.
Elya marries the daughter of the wealthy baker Yoyna Brohe, gets "in the money box", and the neighbors help the groom to celebrate the wedding. Mother, as always, cries.
There is not enough money in the house, and Mottle must spend the night with a rich old man so that he does not stay alone at night. The old man’s servant is well disposed towards Motl, trying to feed him, and when Motl’s mother comes, she feeds her too. At night, the old man tells the boy about the Jewish sages, but wants to eat it.
Mother is not very happy with her daughter-in-law, but Eli has rich father-in-law. Ioinna is terribly angry when Motl takes a bagel from the oven. Eli takes the side of the father-in-law, and his mother calls for the help of God, the protector of orphans, and Eli's father-in-law soon becomes bankrupt. Ale and Broha come to live with their mother. She gives them the only bed in the house.
Elya buys a smart book, which says how to make a hundred from one ruble. According to the recipe written in this book, Elya decides to make kvass for sale. A motel with a jug walks around the market, trying to dilute the drink with water. At first, the trade is successful, the mother repays most of her debts and buys furniture. But somehow Motl poured soap and water instead of clean water into a jug. A scandal rises in the bazaar, a jug picks up the city man, and Motlu manages to escape.
Ale does not lose heart and decides to start the production of ink. Having smeared like hell, the whole family produced so much ink that there was no place to put furniture, since the whole house was occupied with bottles, as if ink hunger had come. Mottle sees mom laughing for the first time. But ink goes badly, and money is mainly invested in bottles, and Ale decides to sell the bottles. To do this, he pours ink at night, accidentally pouring stockings, which the neighbor hung on the fence. Mottle's family must now pay damages. El pours the next batch of ink into the river. But now the river cannot be washed, and horses cannot drink water from it.
Ale decides to take up the production of a powder that removes rats, mice and all other evil spirits. At first, customers come, but Motley accidentally spills a bag of powder, and everyone in the area begins to sneeze. Comrade Eli, the short-sighted and absent-minded Pinya, whose tie is always on his back, has one leg tucked up and who, when walking, steps on his own legs, burns a book.
Pinya is a very educated person; he overshadowed the rabbi with his scholarship. Once he wrote rhymes about him, there was a scandal, and Pini's father beat him up until he gave a word that he would not write any more rhymes. Pini’s father-in-law is holding a flour shop, but Pini Tyble’s wife is sitting in the shop, and Pina is sitting at home, reading books and saying that he is suffocating. Pina wants to go to America and become a "big man."
After listening to Pina, Ale also decides to go to America. The Mothl family is selling a house at auction. Mother is crying again.
Having said goodbye to the neighbors and the remaining relatives, having received advice from them, Motl and his mother, Ale and his wife and Pinya and his family left. Everyone is crying, and Motlu is joyfully sitting on a cart loaded with things.
With many nodes, in which blankets, pillows and clothes, passengers are not allowed into the car. Pina agrees with the head of the train, saying some abstruse words, and the units are checked in.
In a crowded wagon, a fight breaks out between Piney and the passengers. Pinya wants to hit one, but he gets hit by another in another. The conductor is putting things in order, many passengers have already left, and you can take good places. Kin gets acquainted with fellow travelers and it turns out that many also go to America. Everyone is discussing where it is better to break the border.
Having decided that it is best to cross the border in Ungheni, Pinya and Ale seek agents. They find a very devout woman who explains how to cross the border, and undertakes to transfer luggage. On the way, they come across a tavern, in which one should go in and find two men who will help. Women are afraid, mother cries again, and Ale and Pinya and Motl tease: women are even afraid of cats.
Pinya enters the indicated tavern and disappears. Finally he comes out and says that these men are sleeping, and it is impossible to wake them up. Now El goes into the tavern, and he manages to wake them. Guys demand money, threatening with knives. Broha faints with fear, Tyble falls behind her, and shots are heard. From fear, everyone runs and stops already far on the other side of the border. Everyone laughs, and only mom, as always, cries.
Once in Brody, our travelers understand that a woman deceived them and took their luggage. Mom cries: what will she do in America without pillows? They tell everyone how they crossed the border, each in different ways, and all correct each other. People listen to them and say that they should thank fate.
The news comes that the woman who took the things was sent to prison. Mom concludes that this is better than they would lose money, and even they would be stabbed. She cries again, and Elia worries that she will have problems with her eyes and they will not be allowed into America.
Our travelers come to Lviv, where there is a committee for immigrants. Having met with emigrants who fled from the pogroms, mother understands that they are not worse than everyone else. Of the committee members, only one person works. After listening to how each tells different things about what happened, the committee member says that he is the worst, since he does not know what to do with such a lot of emigrants. Ale and Piney decide to go to Krakow.
In Krakow they stay at a hotel for expats. Motel meets his peer, who survived the pogrom. The boy believes that Motl, who does not know what it is, is a calf compared to him.
Hearing from emigrants that nothing can be achieved in a committee that only reads morality, our heroes go to Vienna. Pina writes poetry and hopes that in America he will get rich, as rhymes and poems are a good commodity there.
Brochi's parents travel to America via Antwerp, and our travelers go there. In Antwerp, they meet with the Pesy family. Now everyone is waiting for a checkup at the doctor and they are afraid that someone may have trachoma, and then they will not be allowed to go to America. Motel meets his age-mate Godele. Her whole family went to America, and the girl was not allowed because of trachoma. The family could not stay, because tickets were lost, and now Godele is being treated, but so far without success. Motl also finds a friend Mendl. Mendl got lost along the way, and an emigrant assistance committee is trying to track down his parents.
Eli's fears were not in vain, the doctor denies her mother because of her eyes. The Pesy family and the Brochi family are leaving, El and Piney are planning to go to America via London, and mother, despite eye problems, cries again.Motel is sorry to leave Antwerp, especially sorry to part with Godele, who cries all the time, yearning for her parents.
In London, our travelers fall into the Jewish quarter. Because Pinya compares him with Berdichev, he gets in such a way that he is almost taken to the hospital.
Part II In America
To get to America, travelers board the Prince Albert steamer. Mendl rides with them. The Motla family finds many friends on the boat. Women discuss household chores, men discuss earnings, persecution, and pogroms. Motl and Mendl run around the ship. Upper class passengers drive boys riding in the third class from their decks. Pina gives a speech in which he says that in America there are no classes, there the beggar can sit next to the president, this is a country of true freedom and justice. Some passenger interrupts Pina and asks: where are the beggars then? But here comes Yom Kippur, and everyone becomes equal. Remembering that a year ago they lived at home, and now they roam, people in white tales pray and cry. It's time for mom!
The next day, a major storm begins. People have no time for prayers, women scandal, pass out. Finally, the sea calms down and passengers arrive in America. They feel just like the Jews who crossed the Black Sea.
First and second class passengers go ashore, and third passengers are locked in their cabins. One of the passengers quarrels with Piney. He says they are treated like cattle, and Pine with fists defends America. Finally they are released for a medical examination. Fortunately, mothers with her tear-stained red eyes are not paying attention. After checking the doctor find out which of the friends and relatives are in America. Together with our heroes there are many people, each has its own tragic story, many are sent back, breaking up families. Finally, our travelers get permission and travel to New York. They take Mendla to themselves.
Ale and his wife go to Broch’s parents, and Motl and his mother, Mendel and Pinya and his wife go to Pesia. Motel likes America. He is admired by high-rise buildings, transport. When El hit him, then someone jumped to Ele and said that even a brother should not beat children.
Pesya and his family rent an apartment where everyone has their own bedroom. Pesi's older children work, and the younger ones must go to school. Kinya is delighted: there Jewish children were not accepted into the gymnasium, but here they drag him by force.
Alya, Broha, and Pinya and his wife are thinking about what to do, Motl and Mendel help Pesie’s children, and mother and Tyble help Pesya with household chores. Finally, Ale and Piney take tailors to the factory. Women are unhappy, especially Broch, she doesn’t like America at all: men need to get up early, they don’t have time to pray, and they can’t be late, because they will keep from earning. Soon, Pinya, because of his shortsightedness, flashed his jacket and went to another workshop to work as an ironer. But there he scalds his nose. Kina is ready for anything, if only to live in America, because all the great people started from scratch.
In the factory, workers go on strike. Elya worries and agrees with everyone, Pinya makes speeches in support of America, which he is not allowed to finish.
In the local synagogue, mom meets almost all of her countrymen. After they left, a Jewish pogrom began in the city, the whole city was looted and burned. Through acquaintances, Mom arranges Elya as a waiter in a cafe. Also, with the help of my mother, Broch and Tyble are arranged. Pine grabs at any job.
Ele is tired of working as a waiter, and he gets a job as a picker for a service in the synagogue. But soon he becomes a collector in a furniture factory, and Pinya works as a collector in an insurance company. Pini's business is successful, he can persuade. But their earnings depend on the financial situation of customers, and Pina and Eli decide to open their own business, to sell drinks.
Business in summer is successful, and in winter they sell newspapers and cigarettes.However, earnings are not enough and they decide to expand. To do this, they sell their stall, intending to buy a store. They must also change the apartment.
