America America

In the late 19th century, amidst the crumbling Ottoman Empire, Cappadocian Greek youngster Stavros Topouzoglou (played by a yet unknown actor) ekes out a precarious existence in a village nestled at the foot of Mount Argaeus. The daily struggles of the indigenous population, including his own family and their Armenian neighbors, are a constant reminder of the harsh realities they face. The Derinkuyu Underground City, with its ancient cliff cave dwellings, serves as a refuge for Stavros' grandmother, a symbol of the community's resilience.

Stavros and his childhood friend Vartan share a dream of escaping the turmoil and finding fortune in America. However, their aspirations are brutally shattered when Stavros witnesses a devastating Hamidian massacre that claims Vartan's life. As Stavros fights to recover his friend's body, he narrowly avoids imprisonment.

In the aftermath, Stavros' family faces an existential threat, prompting Issac, his father (played by another unknown actor), to devise a plan to ensure their survival. He tasks Stavros with transporting the family's entire fortune, comprising precious commodities such as money, jewels, rugs, and even the family donkey, to Constantinople, the Turkish capital. This monumental task is entrusted to Stavros, who must use his father's accumulated wealth to purchase a stake in Odysseus' carpet business.

Despite this being Issac's dream, not his own, Stavros remains resolute about pursuing his original goal of reaching America. His odyssey begins with a perilous journey across the Turkish countryside, where he faces numerous challenges, including theft and violence. After losing everything, Stavros finds himself penniless at the doorstep of his cousin Odysseus (played by an actor yet to be determined), who had deceived Issac about the true state of his carpet business.

Odysseus sees potential in Stavros' situation and proposes a marriage between his handsome young cousin and Thomna, the daughter of wealthy carpet merchant Aleko Sinnikoglou. This would not only secure Odysseus' financial future but also eliminate any possibility of Stavros pursuing his American dream. Stavros, however, refuses to compromise on his aspirations, leading him to abruptly depart from his angry cousin and continue his quest for a better life in the United States.

As a vagrant on the unforgiving streets of Constantinople, Stavros (Stavros) eked out a meager existence, scavenging for sustenance and laboring in grueling conditions. His fortunes changed with the guidance of Garabet, a street-savvy mentor who nudged him toward his aspirations. After nine months of penurious living, Stavros had scraped together nine pounds toward the 110 Turkish pounds needed to secure passage to New York, only to have every penny pilfered in his first encounter with a prostitute. Clinging to Garabet, he found himself entangled in the plans of local anarchists plotting a terrorist bombing. As police gunfire ravaged the gathering, Stavros was left for dead and stumbled into a hospital, clinging to life. At the point of expiration, he was dumped atop a wagon carrying corpses bound for the sea, but managed to crawl back to his cousin's doorstep. Odysseus, taken by the young man's plight, allowed him to convalesce at home, where Stavros eventually agreed to marry his intended bride. Just before the ceremony, she confronted his somber silence, and he confessed his lingering ambition to emigrate to America, using his dowry money to procure a ticket as soon as possible.

As he navigated this new reality, Stavros reconnected with Hohannes, an Armenian youth whom he had assisted during his initial voyage to Constantinople. Hohannes revealed that he was being sponsored by an employer seeking indentured labor in exchange for passage to America. By serendipity, Stavros began an illicit affair with Sophia, the neglected middle-aged wife of wealthy rug merchant Artoon Kebabian, a client of his prospective father-in-law. With Sophia's financial backing, Stavros purchased a ticket to New York and abandoned Thomna heartbroken and without a word. He eventually found himself on the same ship as the Kebabians, housed in steerage while they luxuriated in first class.

As the ship lay offshore, awaiting quarantine clearance near New York City, Sophia dispatched her servant to fetch Stavros, and the two lovers rendezvoused in secret while Artoon slept. But their tryst was short-lived, as Artoon awoke to discover the affair and taunted Stavros with venomous words. Enraged, Stavros responded with violence, prompting the ship's captain to sentence him to be returned to Turkey.

As Hohannes stands trembling before the immigration doctor, his life hanging precariously in the balance, a somber realization settles upon him. Scarcely able to conceal the advanced tuberculosis ravaging his body, he knows that Stavros's fate is inextricably tied to his own - if they are forced to return, death awaits them both. In a desperate bid to repay his friend's kindness, Hohaines makes the ultimate sacrifice, leaping into the frigid waters below as the ship departs, his life slipping away with each passing moment.

The unexpected turn of events leaves the would-be employer bereft, but a stroke of cunning allows Stavros to assume Hohaines' identity and evade detection at Ellis Island. As he takes on the alias "Joe Arness," Sophia's thoughtful gift of a straw boater and the chief inspector's benevolent nod bestow upon him a new name, a new persona, and a chance to start anew.

Yet, despite having paid his own passage, Joe (formerly Hohaines) is forced to surrender to the harsh realities of his situation. He must labor as a humble shoe shiner, earning meager tips for every polished sole. The once-promising individual now toils anonymously, his American Dream reduced to a series of small, fleeting victories.

The narrative concludes with a poignant voiceover, revealing that Joe eventually finds success in New York and, over time, brings his loved ones across the Atlantic, one by one. However, fate has one final cruel twist in store - his father, the last to join him, is claimed by mortality before his chance arrives.