Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces media personality Andy Cohen and radio journalist Nina Totenberg to Jewish ancestors who journeyed from Russia to America determined to overcome enormous odds in the face of oppression. With little more than grit and talent, these individuals tested the limits of luck and familial love as they battled to survive and lay the groundwork for future generations.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the immigrant roots of actors Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni, introducing ancestors who confronted inconceivable challenges almost entirely alone. From an abandoned infant in a small Italian village to a devastating plague in Lebanon, long-forgotten records reveal individuals who came from nothing and built a better life in America.