In 1971, during the Soviet occupation of Latvia, a poor, upbeat family of four – an engineer, a schoolteacher and their two daughters – move into a large house that they cannot afford. The father's brother lends them money on the condition that the family starts an underground business of growing and selling rose cultivars to gardeners and collectors in Russia. United by the common purpose – to pay for and keep the house – the family toils in their garden and greenhouse. In the process, they become quite wealthy. But with wealth comes an arrogance and sense of invincibility. As the Soviet Union starts to crumble, the family also unravels.