On a cool September morning, Grace Azile becomes a naturalized American citizen. She calls her mother, who urges her to get a passport as soon as possible. As she hands over the naturalization certificate, Grace feels suddenly unsafe. Her mother was once arrested in a sweatshop immigration raid, and, as a result, her family has always been anxious about their immigration status. When Grace returns home, her mother Hermine is in the kitchen making bone soup, which she believes will stop her other daughter Caroline’s wedding. Caroline, who was born in America, eats the soup despite Hermine’s intentions.

That evening, Grace has conversations with her mother and sister about their family dynamics. Hermine is worried that Caroline’s fiancé is not right for her, while Grace worries that Hermine will actually try to stop the wedding. Before they fall asleep, Caroline and Grace play a call-and-response game Hermine had learned from her own mother, who was a survivor of the 1937 massacre. The next day, Grace and Hermine attend a church service for Haitian refugees who had been killed at sea, including the protagonist of “Children of the Sea.” When they return, Caroline tells Grace that she dreamt of their father, who died ten years earlier.