Summary

In 1971 when Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union, a poor upbeat family of four - an engineer, a schoolteacher and their two daughters - move into a large house that they cannot afford to buy. The father's brother lends them money with the condition that the family starts an underground business of growing and selling rose cultivars to gardeners and collectors in Russia. United by the common purpose - to pay for the house and keep it - the family toils in their garden and greenhouse. In the process they become quite wealthy. But with the wealth comes an arrogance and sense of invincibility. As the Soviet Union starts to fall apart, the family also unravels. Facing external threats from racketeers, thieves, drug addicts, and losing all their hard-earned savings when the currency collapses, the family's ties grow tighter and tighter until one of them starts to suffocate.