The story of this film is significant to me, as it is based on my own life and the lives of my relatives. I am a descendant of Estonian immigrants who came to the United States because of World War 2. The war was extremely devastating to Estonia and its people. In 1944, when the film begins, the Soviet Union invaded Estonia. This forced many to flee the country, including my great grandparents and their three young children. After spending time in displaced persons camps, they eventually immigrated to the United States, as did many other refugees at the time. They were hard working citizens and made good lives for themselves in America, but there was always a longing to return to their true home. Sadly, Estonia was still under the occupation of the Soviet Union and would remain under their control until 1991. All of the hardships that the Soviet Union caused my family understandably gave them negative feelings toward the country and things associated with it, namely the color red.