Ettie and her family share memories during the mourning period, re-creating struggles to escape from physical oppression in czarist Russia and later from the stigma of mental illness. Personal revelations force Ettie and her children to come to grips with the past and break the silence surrounding the mental illness that has shaped their relationships with the outside world.
Surprising events and courageous actions during the following year enable the family to experience the liberation of an unveiling.