The plot complicates matters by focusing on a boy who is not Jewish at all, but is made to pretend he is Jewish by his sacrificing mother, who puts him into the mix as a way of rescuing him from the poverty and horrors of life in Ethiopia, thereby giving him a chance for a better future. But nine-year-old Schlomo, who assumes the identity of a boy who has died, is saddled with a double burden. Not only must he grow up living a lie, but he bears the scars of not understanding his mother’s sacrifice and believing she has abandoned him out of lack of love for him. He is overwhelmed by the hope that one day he can find her.

Schlomo is adopted and raised by a well-meaning couple, who must cope with the difficulty of dealing with an emotionally troubled youngster. Schlomo is subjected to demeaning treatment as a result of his ethnicity. When as a teenager he falls in love with the attractive Sarah, played ardently by Roni Hadar, her bigoted father threatens him and he tries to fight his feelings for Sarah although she fearlessly pursues him.

The film suffers from an excess of complications and angst. Still, the portrayals are effective. Mosche Abebe is convincing as the teenage Schlomo. His adoptive mother Yael is played warmly by Yael Abecassis, who becomes especially close to and supportive of him, and Roschdy Zem as Yoram, his adoptive father conveys the conflicting emotions he feels in light of Schlomo’s increasingly rebellious behavior. Rami Danon is sympathetic as the lad’s understanding, acquired grandfather, and Yitzhak Edgar makes the most of his pivotal role as an Ethopian rabbi who befriends and guides Schlomo.