Set in Antwerp, Belgium in the early 1970s, Left Luggage is the touching story of Chaja (Laura Fraser), a rebellious college student struggling to accept her Jewish identity. Her relationship with her parents, both concentration camp survivors, is strained. A family friend finds her a job as a nanny for the Kalmans, a Hassidic family with five children. She has little patience for their strict household rules but soon finds herself drawn to Simcha, their 4-year-old son who has yet to speak. Through her love for Simcha, she finds common ground with Mrs. Kalman (Isabella Rossellini) and learns respect for a culture steeped in tradition and religious values.