Live from the underground

the long version

Teenagers Darek Da̧browski and Eleanor Hanson come from two different worlds. In Communist Poland, Darek is consumed with the idea of a one-way ticket to America and its Levi Strauss jeans and Adidas sneakers. He wants to get away from the country that jailed his father, a local Solidarity leader. When the family is forced into exile, it seems Darek's dreams have come true. Then, he finds himself in the Bible belt of New Brunswick, and he's not so sure. There, he meets Eleanor, who is immersed in the practical business of working hard, doing God's will, and worrying about the state of her soul. Live from the Underground is the haunting, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful account of two colliding worlds, and of two outsiders allied through displacement and tragedy. Together, they shatter small-town prejudices to forge new identities.