Aliya has just won the lottery: the Green Card lottery that will enable her to emigrate to the United States. In this wonderfully observed slice-of-life portrait of post-Soviet Kazakhstan, Aliya navigates keeping her aging mother company, an affair with a taken woman, her sister’s unhappiness in a strict Muslim marriage, and the futility of living in a place with little opportunity to build the life you desire — all while trying to find a way to tell them she’s leaving it behind.