When a sick father tells his son a new story of how he came into the United States from Mexico, different from the one the whole family was familiar with, an argument ensues between mother and father about the true history of their family.

In 1988 Germany, a teenaged girl likes to probe her uptight family members for the rich stories they carry from their past. When her aunt—the black sheep of the family—comes to stay with them, the girl is fascinated by her free-spirited persona and the family secrets she may hold.