With the standoff in the harbor over, the Exodus pulls back into dock long enough to receive medical attention and get a quick refit for its passage to Palestine. Kitty wrestles with her upcoming decisions, trying to decide whether to go to Palestine to be with Karen. Mark also challenges Kitty to study her feelings regarding Ari, and in doing so, she goes to talk to David Ben Ami. In order to explain Ari’s view of the world, David narrates a story that begins in Russia in 1884.

The flashback to 1884 commences with an introduction of the Rabinsky family, who live in the Pale, an area designated for Jewish settlement in a swath of territory that includes portions of modern Ukraine and adjoining provinces.

Simon is the father of the Rabinsky family, a man devoted to Torah and the Jewish way of life. His two teenage sons, Jossi and Yakov, are a study in contrasts, with the older Jossi being mild and reflective, and the younger Yakov headstrong. The Pale is essentially an oversized ghetto: It allows for Jewish cultural and religious life to flourish, but with the constant threat of persecution and pogroms.