Struggling to survive in the USSR during the turbulent years of Perestroika, Lena and her gay son, Potato, escape into the fantasy world of pirated American movies. Eventually, the movies are not enough, so Elena decides to become a mail-order bride and discover America for herself.

Soon after Lena marries the (much) older and (very) eccentric John, mother and son discover that they're in for a lot of surprises. Closely based on writer-director Wes Hurley's childhood, and with shades of Wes Anderson, POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA proves that real life is often much stranger than fiction.