Zev Lurie is a Cuban man living in Brooklyn, where he gets married and has a son. When he then returns to live in Havana, he falls in love with a woman named Consuelo Delacruz, who becomes pregnant with his child. While in Cuba, Zev gets involved with gangsters, mobs, and gambling and finds himself responsible for transporting over a million dollars. Zev begins to distrust the men he is delivering the money to, however, so he kills them both and takes the money for himself. When the government eventually links the money to Zev, he claims that he no longer has it. Still, Zev is soon expelled from the country by personal order of Fidel Castro. Before leaving, Zev devises a plan for his newborn child to access the money in the future, should the family need it. Now, years later, in 1987, a writer is preparing to leave his home in Berkeley to visit Havana for a film festival, when he gets a call from Zev, his uncle-by-marriage. Zev asks him to find Consuelo, tell her that he loves her, and explain to his child how to access the money. Upon arriving in Cuba, Zev's nephew finds Consuelo where she works at the Tropicana. Consuelo does not speak English, but the man has Zev's message written down on a piece of paper in Spanish. After realizing that he has been sent by Zev, Consuelo brings the man to her daughter Zeva. When Consuelo's shift ends, they all leave and go back to her apartment. There, the man tells Zeva, who speaks English, about the money. Zev wants them to come live with him in the states, but, though Zeva agrees, her mother does not. The man finds Zeva very attractive and must continually remind himself that she is his cousin. They soon notice a police man on the street outside, dressed in ordinary clothes so that he won't draw attention to himself. The man attends the film festival, and on the last night he is invited to a dinner party. There, he sees Fidel Castro among a crowd of people. He then receives a message, telling him that the two women cannot leave the country until Zev hands over the money. The nephew boards his flight home the next day. When he reaches Miami, where he plans to take a connecting flight to California, he calls Zev and relays the message. The man is then given detailed instructions to follow. He is told to stay in Miami and pay close attention to see if anyone is following him. He follows the instructions and meets a man named Sam Halpert, Zev's lawyer, on a bridge a little ways from the airport. He notices a blond man who he is sure he has seen before and points him out to Sam. When the blond man gets closer, Sam pushes him into the water below. The man, horrified, debates helping the drowning man, but he changes his mind when he sees he has a gun. As a bullet flies past him, the nephew joins Sam in his car and they quickly leave. Later that day, Sam takes the man to meet Zev. On the way there, the lawyer tells him about Zev's previous involvements, which apparently included managing prostitutes in addition to gambling money. Many of these prostitutes met with Fidel Castro and ended up having his children. They are now spread out, living in different parts of the world. Zev has made a deal with Fidel that he will bring him his sons instead of the money to allow Zeva and Consuelo to leave for America. Zeva's thumbprint corresponds to a key pattern that opens an account in Zurich with the money and the names of the prostitutes. The man is now supposed to join Zeva while she accesses the account, and the two will then find the women and send Fidel's sons on a place back to Havana. If they do not complete the mission in a month, Consuelo will be killed. Sam explains that Zev's team have taken care of the man's responsibilities in Berkeley, including buying his girlfriend a birthday present. The two men then reach a tarmac and watch as Zev and his manager, a young woman named Penelope, exit a plane. After a short conversation with his uncle, the man agrees to complete the mission. He is taken back to a hotel, where he rests while Penelope buys him a new wardrobe. The man then joins Penelope on a speed boat, but they soon return to the hotel, where they have sex. Sam and Zev arrive at the hotel and find the two naked and together in bed. The man, feeling extremely uncomfortable, wonders what he has gotten himself into.