It is the roaring twenties, and Gittel is living with her parents whose blazing rows are the traditional preserve of Jewish public holidays. Much to her delight, Gittel makes the acquaintance of the well-to-do Mardell family, but when these friendships turn out to be nothing but an illusion, Gittel learns her first lessons about trust and betrayal. Through this intimate portrayal of familial strife set in the shadow of the Holocaust, Simons has written a timeless ode to a carefree interlude in a dark and dramatic period.