Lisa Schwartz |
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| Synopsis |
| At the age of eight, Carl Schumacher wants nothing more than the love and acceptance of his father Frank. But instead he just gets in the way of Frank’s insatiable need to prove everyone wrong about his past and become a millionaire. Whenever Carl turns to his mother to protect him from the wrath of his father, he finds her too busy sterilizing their pristine house on the wealthiest avenue in town to be bothered. All this changes at the outbreak of World War II when the U.S. government orders the Schumachers to leave the life they’ve known for generations in Nebraska and assist in the war effort in Sunnyside, Utah. Unable to sell their grocery store or home before reporting to duty, the Schumachers are left penniless as they head west. After arriving in Sunnyside, they realize it is anything but sunny, with over eight hundred coke ovens belching smoke and filth into the air. Even worse, the company house on the hill they were promised doesn’t exist and the only remaining houses are 15’ by 15’ paper shacks, with little to protect them from the elements. With the status they enjoyed in Nebraska long gone, Carl soon learns his last name is German when some Mormon bullies call him a Nazi and beat him up every day. With few options left, Carl befriends a Japanese boy. When Frank discovers his son is best friends with a “Jap,” he disclaims him as his own son. Not until Frank almost dies in the mine explosion of 1944 does he realize material wealth is of little consequence, and family is all that really matters. Based on a true story. |