It's not a punishment to remember someone you love. The punishment is to forget him.

American photojournalist Norman Harris (Damian Lewis) is about to return home to his wife in Detroit, disillusioned with work and life after having his images of the Greece-Turkey war rejected for being "too artistic". Meanwhile in Samothrace, Greece, a young seamstress called Niki Douka (Victoria Haralabidou) is preparing her bags for Chicago where she is to marry a tailor she's never met. Norman and Niki find themselves on the same ship bound for America. Norman is travelling first class. Niki is in third class, sharing the cramped space with seven hundred mail order brides from every corner of Greece, Turkey, Russia and Armenia. In heir suitcases each bride carries a photo of her prospective groom and a wedding gown. Sleazy bridal "agent" Karaboulat (Steven Berkoff) is official chaperone or the Russian brides, but he has a secret and sinister agenda for some of his charges... While the other first class passengers drink and dance the night away, Norman worries about the plight of the brides. But it's the spirited Niki who really catches his eye, his feelings for her are deeper than anything he's ever felt before.