Inspired by a true story, this heart-wrenching story is about a family's struggle to survive and persevere during the Bolshevik Revolution, Depression, World War II, and the Malibu floods.

SYNOPSIS:

Vladimir Kaminskaya becomes Tsar Nicholas' scribe. Since Vladimir must always be next to the Tsar, Vladimir's wife, Svetlana becomes one of the Tsar's chefs while his daughter, Elizabeth grows up with the Romanov children. Everything is fine until the Bolsheviks storm the palace to kill the Tsar and anyone associated with him.

The Kaminskayas flee into the forest with the Bolsheviks in pursuit. Svetlana is shot. As they swim under a river, a bullet misses Elizabeth by just one inch. Then Vladimir sacrifices his life for her.

Elizabeth perseveres alone for days on her way to her uncle's farm. She is hungry, and tired, and almost quits, but doesn't give up.

After finally finding her uncle Moyshe, she lives a peasant life with him and his family until again, the Bolsheviks are on her trail. Moyshe helps her get a ticket to America.

As she emigrates to New York, she meets Nathan who is smitten with her on board. They marry and have two sons who die and a daughter, Ruth who survives.

His sons' deaths and the Great Depression become too much for Nathan to bear and he drinks himself to an early death. Elizabeth must now fend for herself once more with a daughter to raise during the Depression. She sells soup o the streets and is discovered by a famous deli owner.

A teenage Ruth falls in love with a meat cutter named Max. But World War II intervenes in their romance. During the war, Max is almost killed by a child.

After the war, Ruth and Max marry. They move with Elizabeth to California and have a daughter, Rachel. Everything is fine until, once again, tragedy strikes. The Malibu floods destroy their home killing Max and Ruth.

Burying her daughter becomes too much for Elizabeth to bear and she dies of a heart attack. Rachel dedicates the story to her grandmother, Elizabeth (Lizzie).