An elderly woman named Eva listens to a record of Russian folk music, and thumbs through an album from her youth with photographs of Anton Chekhov and Victor Hugo. Outside, her husband, David, unsteadily climbs a ladder to repair the roof, but changes his mind. He complains that he is too old to maintain the property, and upsets Eva when he announces his plan to sell their house and move to the Union Haven, a residence for senior citizens. Later, Eva cooks a feast for her husband and visiting children. They ask her if she would like to move, but Eva responds that she would not enjoy living among other people. Her answer upsets her husband, who leaves the table. Later, David posts a “For Sale” sign in front of the house. At night, he wakes up and discovers his wife is missing. He finds her sitting on the porch swing in the rain, singing a Russian song. He gently guides her back in the house. After a doctor visit, David learns from his daughter that Eva has a kidney disorder and low blood cell count, but Eva insists that nothing is wrong, and disappears inside the house. The couple’s son tells David that Eva has cancer, and it has spread. The doctors expect Eva will have one year to live. When Eva has an operation in the hospital, she asks her family what is wrong, but no one will tell her the truth. After Eva is discharged, she and David travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to visit their daughter, Vivi, and their grandchildren. Eva refuses to hold her baby grandson. She remembers the many hours she spent nursing her own children, and when she had time for herself she took pleasure in reading books. However, David would always discourage her reading. At night, Eva wakes David, and wants to go home. She accuses him of selling the house, which explains why they have money to travel. He reassures her that he has not sold the property yet, and tells her to go back to sleep. The next day, David helps a grandson build a kite and tells riddles, while Eva tells a granddaughter she does not know any riddles. As Eva watches her grandson fly his kite, she recalls a moment from her childhood when Russian soldiers hanged a local boy. At night, she is disturbed by memories of a soldier who captured her sister. Back in the present, Eva rises from bed, and hides in the closet. She remembers her sister’s body hanging from a noose and screams. David soothes her, and she goes back to sleep. The next day, David tells someone on the telephone that he made a mistake, and needs to fix it. Before long, Eva and David visit their granddaughter, Jeannie, a visiting nurse who lives in San Francisco, California. After settling in, the couple takes a bus ride, and Eva is overjoyed to see the ocean. She removes her shoes and socks, and frolics on the beach, while David watches in amazement. Later, at a Laundromat, Eva is recognized by an old friend, Mrs. Mays, who strikes up a conversation. She invites Eva and David to her apartment for tea. However, Eva feels claustrophobic in Mrs. Mays’s cramped one-room apartment. One day, Eva informs David that she is ready to go home. He tells her to talk to a doctor, and walks away. Later, Jeannie shows Eva a folk art doll that was made by the mother of a young patient who recently died. Jeannie says the family will hold a tribute for the girl, and sing her favorite songs. Eva asks if Jeannie will do the same for her when she is gone. Soon, David has another heated telephone call, pleading with someone to fix the mistake. Later, David packs Eva’s suitcase to go to a hospital, where she can receive better care. Eva refuses, and wrestles the suitcase away from her husband. As she descends the staircase, she insists on going home. David then admits there is no home. He forged Eva’s signature and sold the house while they were traveling. When Eva collapses on the stairs, he explains that he tried to reverse the sale, and cries as he apologizes. When Jeannie returns from work, David admits that he did a terrible thing, and he does not know how to make it right. Eva barely looks at her husband when he brings her a corsage, and she insists on attending Mrs. Mays’ birthday party, despite a fever. The senior center choir sings Russian folk songs that lift Eva’s spirits. Later, she smiles, and tells David it is not right for her to stand in his way. He should move to the Union Haven; she will stay with Jeannie. David wonders aloud how he can exist without her. Eva remembers when David was young, and they were passionately in love. Suddenly, they fall into each other’s arms and kiss. Later, Jeannie tears up over the breakup with her boyfriend. Eva shows her granddaughter her old album filled with photographs of Emil Zola, Walt Whitman, and Victor Hugo, and says that their work will sustain Jeannie as they have helped her. David is jealous when he discovers that Eva hid the photo album from him, and views the photographs as if they are secret lovers. Soon, chemotherapy makes Eva sleepy. She has dreams of long ago, losing her shoe when she runs through the forest with David. In the present, Eva cries out for her shoe and David hands it to her. Eva looks tiny curled up in bed, and Jeannie covers her grandmother with an embroidered red shawl. She insists that the family will have a big party to celebrate Eva’s life, then embraces her grandfather.