A year after the end of World War II, a fourteen-year-old girl and her older sister leave Scotland for America. The Jewish-German sisters can't remember much from their time in Germany and don't speak any German. Their bunkmates who are also sisters, Bruna and Rosa, are also Jewish. The young girl is determined to have her first kiss before meeting her family members at the port in New York City. The first night, Bruna and Rosa ask to switch beds so they can both sleep on the top bunk -- they are both concentration camp survivors and struggle with nightmares. When the young girl hears about the upcoming dance, she knows she must find a suitable partner. A Dutch sailor who is much older introduces himself, but not being able to speak Dutch, she befriends a disabled boy Arnold to translate. At the dance, the young girl and the Dutch sailor sneak away. He smokes a cigarette and then they begin to kiss. Although she ends up only in her underwear, they do not have sex. As the long passage continues, Arnold and the young girl continue to spend time solving riddles and conversing with the other passengers. When they finally reach America, the young girl helps Arnold off the boat.