Crossing

The Cold War has divided the family of Andrei, a free-spirited Soviet teenager, between his Western-minded, eccentric mother who reads the future on coffee grounds and worships Donna Summer, and the conservative, patriarchal father who watches World War II movies, makes homemade alcohol and sticks to traditional Russian values. After being punished for questioning Karl Marx in school, the rebellious teen is confined to his room where he listens to American radio under the watchful eye of Lenin's portrait, waiting for the Berlin Wall to come down. 20 years later, in the fall of 2008, Andrei is a successful businessman in Los Angeles who faces the sudden news of the stock market crash, the beginning of the Great Recession and the near-bankruptcy of his business. He is forced to lay off most of his staff, sell his house and move to the East Coast to look for work and live with his family that followed him to the United States. His job search proves futile, his girlfriend leaves him for another man, his business struggles to survive, and he begins to lose hope. Inspired by his father, Andrei makes a last-ditched attempt to save himself and his company. Aided by the only remaining employee, he travels in his car across the United States, fighting for every client he can get. The stakes rise with Andrei's father falling ill, forcing him to run his business from his father's hospital room, where he meets his new romantic interest. After his father's death Andrei goes to the bank to borrow money for his burial, and discovers by accident that his fortunes have long changed, that he is back "among the riches." Andrei takes another look at his life, his values, family and the world he left behind.