The last Yiddish feature made in Poland before WWII, this 1939 film is based on a 1907 play by the prolific playwright Jacob Gordin. Living in poverty in Kazimierz Dolny, the Rywkin family sees the father emigrate to the U.S. in search of a better life, where, after years of hard work and loneliness, he meets Bessie, a nightclub singer who helps him reunite with his family from Poland.
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Austrian officer Leon Anton falls for Estera, the rabbi’s daughter, but is sent to the front and dies, leaving her pregnant; Estera abandons their newborn and sails to America to become a singer. Sixteen years later she returns to search for her child, aided by Szamaj and Awrejml, enduring comic misadventures among families named Kohen, and ultimately discovers that the violinist’s fiancée Rachela is her long-lost daughter.
In a fictional country, Lena Kort, a talented singer and kleptomaniac, performs in exclusive venues. She is looked after from afar by a wealthy gentleman named Lewaso. The artist is associated with the theft of diamonds from wealthy jewelers. Checks from her wealthy guardian protect Lena from prison. While closing down an illegal gambling house, the police arrest a major fraudster, who turns out to be Lewaso. Lena falls in love with the young chemist Walter King, who helps her recover from a fatal illness. The young couple begins a new life.
