After WWII, the people from Ruthenia’s Carpathian villages were promised a better life in Bohemia. But in their new homes, they felt like strangers—so telling stories quickly became very important to the homesick people. One of these beloved tales is about Jakub, a man who knew the bible by heart.

Piecing together the life of a seemingly ordinary villager, Jana Ševčíková’s stirring portrait uncovers the generational struggles faced by the Ruthenians, a displaced minority group. Bearing witness to regime changes and shifting national ideologies, Jakub questions the very idea of the homeland.