A young immigrant's journey to Halifax from the Iron Curtain. Emma lives on the grey, cold side of the wall, where people speak in whispers and no flowers grow. On the other side there is happiness and colour, but she can never go there. One day, Emma's parents disappear and she is sent to live with her miserable Aunt Lily. She disapproves of Emma's drawing and dashes her niece's dream of becoming an artist. That is, until a strange boat arrives and Emma leaves her world behind forever. Following Emma's arrival in a strange land where she cannot speak (Halifax's Pier 21), she discovers her voice through art.