David and Flora Grossenberg emigrate to Colombia shortly after their marriage and soon discover that the clash of cultures - between Colombian and American traditions, and between modern Jews and their conservative Russian emigre relations - as well as the foreign landscape will test their marriage and their family bonds.

After their arrival, Flora desperately wants out of the clutches of David's three older sisters, overbearing matriarchs all, and insists that she and David rent a house of their own. There they discover a curious inhabitant, Bolivariana, a wizened old woman who claims to be the illegitimate daughter of Colombia's national hero, Simon Bolivar. She wanders their house aimlessly, scavenging for food late at night, and displaying her uncanny gift for predicting the future.

Also clamoring for Flora's attention are a growing brood of children, a succession of wayward maids, and the more unusual male members of the family, including the increasingly erratic Harold, whose passion for mangoes lured the entire family to Colombia in the first place.