The story takes place in 1921, when Ava (Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard) and her sister Magda (Angela Salafan Angela Sarafyan) can't resist the neon temptation of the bustling city and set off from Poland to New York to search for gold. On the way, Magda suffered from tuberculosis, which was then an incurable disease, so she was quarantined by doctors in a hospital on Ellis Island, and the two sisters parted ways. After coming to New York, Ava found that everything here is not as good as she imagined. Unfortunately, she fell into the hands of Bruno, a pimp (played by Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Phoenix) and became a prostitute. Ava's life was full of pain and humiliation, and being able to see her sister again became the only belief in her heart. By accident, Ava met a magician named Orlando (Jeremy Reina Jeremy Renner). The kind Orlando made Ava understand that he may be the only springboard to a new life.