To begin all over again is a classic American dream. But it is remarkably hard to do, as Irish immigrants Johnny and Sarah discover when they hit New York City, with their two spunky young daughters, in the mid-1980s. In pursuit of a dream, the family uses ingenuity and sheer strength of will to make the most of their new life. With no cash to spare, Johnny and Sarah settle into a chaotic New York tenement and attempt to turn the dilapidated setting into a true home. From dragging an iffy-looking air conditioner across Manhattan to finding make-do jobs, nothing comes without a fight for the couple. And yet, as they see America as rife with challenges, dangers and weirdness, their daughters see it as a magical place where anything can happen, a place that might release them from the anguish of what has come before. Then, on Halloween, the girls dare to knock on the door of "the screaming man," a reclusive neighbor named Mateo, and everything changes. As the family heads for a crisis, Mateo becomes their unlikely ally in the territory where hope, fatih and even magic hold sway.