Welcome to 1980s Belarus, where Polish denim is the currency, "kike" is a pedestrian endearment, and a second-trimester abortion can be procured for a box of chocolates. Antonia Olenski, a catty half-Jewish professor at the Gomel Music Academy, wavers between her flamboyant composer husband, Joseph, and a chivalrous tenor, Nicholas. The Chernobyl disaster breaks up the love triangle, forcing Antonia into evacuation with her annoying eight-year-old daughter, Maryana.
After a summer of cruising through Crimean sanatoriums and provoking wounded Afghan veterans, Antonia starts pining for...