Amos reflects back on his early childhood in then Mandatory Palestine (now Israel) with his mother Fania (Natalie Portman) and father Arieh (Gilad Kahana). His parents are Eastern European Jews living in Jerusalem, which his mother finds difficult as her sisters and family live in Tel Aviv and communication between them is difficult. Amos, an only child, is particularly close with his mother, who frequently tells him stories based on her childhood that often have unhappy or violent endings.