Lonely Professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) is assigned to attend a conference about Global Policy and Development at the New York University, where he is to give a lecture about a paper that he is coauthor on. When he arrives at his apartment in New York, he finds Tarek Khalil, a syrian musician, and Zainab, a Senegalese street vendor living there. He sympathizes with the situation of the illegal immigrants and invites the couple to stay with him. Tarek invites him to go to his gig in the Jules Live Jazz and Walter is fascinated with his African drum. Tarek offers to teach Walter to play the drum. However, after an incident in the subway, Tarek is arrested by the police and sent to a detention center of immigrants. Walter hires a lawyer to defend Tarek and out of the blue, Tarek's mother Mouna appears at Walter's apartment from Michigan. He invites her to stay in Tarek's room and while trying to release Tarek, Walter and Mouna get close to each other and he finds a reason to live an exciting life again.

Walter Vale's Apartment, 63 St Marks Place and 1st Avenue, Manhattan.

2nd Avenue and East 6th Street, East Village, Manhattan.

New York University Kimmel Center, Washington Square South, Manhattan.

Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

Yatagan Kebab House, 104 MacDougal Street and Bleecker Street, Manhattan.

The Mall, Central Park, Manhattan.

Sheep Meadow, Central Park (btw 66th and 69th Streets) Manhattan.

Subway Station, Central Park West and West 72nd Street, Manhattan.

Ametller Cafe, 35 Christopher Street and Stonewall Place, Manhattan.

Staten Island Ferry, New York Harbour.

Pink Pony Cafe, 176 Ludlow Street and Stanton Street, Manhattan.

Majestic Theatre, 245 West 44th Street and 8th Avenue, Manhattan.

Times Square (Broadway, 7th Avenue, West 42nd and 47th Streets) Manhattan.

Hundred Acres Restaurant, 38 MacDougal Street and Prince Street, Manhattan.

John F Kennedy International Airport, Queens.