Set in a dreary, unforgiving mid-nineteenth century German village in Hunsruck, it captures the plight of hundreds of thousands of Europeans who immigrated to faraway South America to escape the famine, poverty and despotism that ruled at home. Edgar Reitz's film is a heart-wrenching drama and love story set against the backdrop of this forgotten tragedy. Jakob, our protagonist, tries to immerse himself in literature and learning, as the rest of his family toils to fend off starvation.