Ivan Cohen (Sam Dillon) is a young boy living in Palo Alto, California. The film begins when Ivan is a young boy and his life with his mother, a Russian immigrant, and his American step-father. Ivan appears unsatisfied with his childhood and his step-father is unable to forge a relationship with the boy. Ivan seems unhappy, noting that people only talk to him about his blonde hair, pale skin, and his Russian army jacket, all of which came from his Russian father.