In 1910, Jan Brozek is a lone traveler, making his way across a Europe preparing for war, intent on immigration to America to establish a new life for himself and his fiancee, Maria, who will follow once he has earned the money for her passage. Early in his travels he saves the life of Anna Ihnacak, the beautiful daughter of a Hungarian nobleman - their easy attraction creates emotions that, as he travels on, he has difficulty dealing with and understanding. Ready to sail across the Atlantic on the last, three-week leg of his journey, he is stunned when his careful plans are derailed at the last minute and he must choose an alternate course, one that sets him on what would be a two-year odyssey covering three continents.
In his travels, Jan moves in and out of the personal stories - involving murder and corruption, personal losses, natural disasters, and everyday situations - of those he meets along the way. And he is tempted by the unexpected opportunities some of those situations create. All the while, he wrestles with his own emotions concerning Maria and Anna, finally reaching a surprising resolution as his long journey takes yet another and final unexpected turn.
