Spanning the years 1919-1949, a group of Greek refugees from Odessa settle on a piece of land that was promised to them just outside of Thessaloniki. Led by Spyros, a member of the Greek bourgeoisie in Odessa, the refugees name this land New Odessa. Growing up together, Alexis, son of Spyros, and Eleni, an orphan adopted by Spyros' family during their journey to New Odessa, never build a "brother & sister" relationship, but instead form a deep love for one another that will lead Eleni, like another heroine in ancient Greek tragedy, through all the tribulations of Hellenism and of the history of the 20th century. Alexis and Eleni's love runs counter to the wishes of the widowed Spyros, who sees in Eleni a future wife for himself. Spyros' personality, which could be characterized as that of the father-master, weighs heavily on Eleni and she in turn agrees to marry him. But her true love for Alexis prevails, and immediately following her vows to Spyros, Eleni and Alexis flee to Thessaloniki and elope. In search of work, Alexis connects with a Nikos, a refugee from Asia Minor who leads a band of traveling musicians. Easily impressing Nikos with his talent as an accordion player, Alexis lands a gig with the band. But history intervenes. With Greece at war, Alexis decides to join a group of musicians about to embark on a tour of America. It's Alexis hope that he'll be able to remain in the US and, once settled, he promises Eleni that he will send for her and their two young sons to join him. Left behind, Eleni is soon arrested for harboring Nikos, who had been hunted down by the regime as a leftist. Nikos meets a violent death and Eleni is forced to spend a decade in prison as a political detainee. Yet Eleni's fate is relentless. Released from prison, Eleni's search for Alexis and her two sons will lead her to a moment when she'll have to pay the price for her desire to follow her heart.