A lost antique pillow from Russia contains pearls, valuable by themselves. But what makes them even more precious is that they are the main ingredient for the elixir of youth. A self-appointed Certified Interpreter of Dreams and Afflictions buys the pillow on a lark, and soon must fight a charming con woman Penelopa (who realizes the true value of the pearls) and her clueless sidekick Piotr for possession of the pillow and its pearls. Be careful what you wish for, Penelopa! Every character in these twenty-two interlinked stories is an immigrant from a place real or imaginary.