In 1905, Rebecca Kaplansky leaves her parents and Jewish shtetl in The Ukraine to join her fiance´ Samuel Abramowitz in Milwaukee. Ingrid Christiansen journeys from her orphanage in Norway to become the Picture Bride of Lars Jorgensen, a widowed Norwegian farmer with two young sons in North Dakota. But as Rebecca and Ingrid are processed together at Ellis Island, officials put them on the wrong trains. Each is sent to the other’s final destination.
Realizing the mistake, Lars takes Rebecca to his farm and promises to help her find her way back to Samuel. And Samuel convinces his family to take in Ingrid until they can locate Rebecca and return the Norwegian girl to Lars. It is hatred at first sight for the feisty Ingrid and Samuel and his traditional Jewish family. Lars does not understand Rebecca’s Jewish practices. Lost in a strange land, living in alien cultures, and unable to speak English, the women struggle to return to their rightful new homes. But when the chance finally comes to fulfill their destinies, will the love that has blossomed between Rebecca and Lars threaten to destroy everything? Flower Toward the Sun celebrates the unlimited possibilities for a new life in the promised land of America. |