Plot
Fegele Abramovich (Christina Ricci), a Russian Jew is separated from her father (Oleg Yankovsky) as a child in 1927. Her father has travelled to America to seek his fortune and plans to send for Fegele and her grandmother. Before leaving, he sings "Je Crois Entendre Encore" from the Bizet opera Les pêcheurs de perles to her. After her father leaves, the village is attacked and burned in a pogrom. Fegele escapes with the help of neighbours; after overcoming many obstacles, she is crowded onto a boat headed for Britain, with only a photo of her father and a coin given by her grandmother.
A British official renames her "Susan" and places her with foster parents. Schoolmates taunt her by calling her a "gypsy", but she does not yet understand English. A teacher at the school overhears her singing "Je Crois Entendre Encore" in Yiddish, and teaches her to sing and speak in English.
An older Suzie joins a singing dance troupe. In Paris she shares an apartment with an older Russian dancer named Lola (Cate Blanchett). They perform at a formal party alongside a mysterious performing horseman, Cesar (Johnny Depp), a Romani to whom Suzie becomes attracted. They overhear a tenor singing "Je Crois Entendre Encore"; the voice belongs to Dante (John Turturro), an Italian opera singer who immediately catches Lola's eye. Lola falls for his charms, enticed by his wealth and success. Dante, Lola, Suzie, and Cesar all work for an opera company directed by Felix Perlman (Harry Dean Stanton). Dante is an imperious follower of Mussolini; this alienates him from Suzie even as he becomes Lola's lover. Meanwhile, Cesar introduces Suzie to his "family" (essentially his entire tribe), and they fall in love.
Dante rifles through Suzie's things after a dalliance with Lola in the apartment, and deduces her Jewish heritage from her father's photo. An elderly Jewish neighbour downstairs, Madame Goldstein (Miriam Karlin), also knows that Suzie is Jewish and has warned her of the dangers foretold by the German invasion of Poland. A year later, as the Germans approach Paris, an exodus begins of Jews fleeing from the Nazis. Crowds for the opera dwindle, leaving only Dante and Suzie as cast members. Dante attempts to seduce Suzie, who rebuffs him. He lashes out, insulting her heritage and that of Cesar. Perlman reminds Dante that if Mussolini aligns with the Nazis, Dante's own position in Paris would be precarious. Perlman closes down the show and the Nazis enter Paris the following morning.
Dante reluctantly returns to his earlier role as minstrel. After another rebuff from Suzie, Dante betrays her to a German officer as a Jew. Lola warns Suzie and urges her to leave Paris, and purchases tickets for them both on an ocean liner headed for America. The night of the party, the Nazis attack the Romani village and kill a child. When Cesar comes to her apartment to say goodbye, Suzie expresses her desire to stay and help Cesar fight the Nazis for his family, but he tells her she must flee and find her father. They share a tender last evening together.
Lola is killed when the ocean liner is torpedoed and sunk. Suzie is rescued and brought to New York.
Suzie searches for her father and discovers that he changed his name, gave up singing, and moved west after hearing about the attack on his home village, which he assumed killed all the members of his family. Suzie finds him in Hollywood where he has established himself as a studio head with a new family. Suzie learns also that he's dying. She goes to the hospital, walks past his new wife and children who are waiting outside the door to his room, and is reunited with her father. Overjoyed, he cries as she sits at his side singing "Je Crois Entendre Encore" in Yiddish.
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