Uncle Chatzkel witnesses the Bolshevik Revolution, the two World Wars, the Holocaust and the transition from Communist to independent Lithuania. During his early years, he gained employment as a translator and then as a lexicographer, working hard to preserve the Lithuanian language. He lost much of his family to the Nazis and most of his fellow Jewish citizens were killed by local Lithuanians. Now regarded as a national treasure, Uncle Chatzkel's success belies his sometimes lonely existence - that is until his Australian relatives arrive. Uncle Chatzkel was nominated for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for best documentary in 2000.