Mix of period footage circa 1910, retrospective interviews in 1975, and some still images. European immigration in bad travel conditions to America. View from rail on deck of a ship in heavy seas. An elderly European immigrant recalls his experiences of the journey on ship to America. Ship in Atlantic Ocean. Picture of European immigrants on ship deck. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Early 1900s period footage of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and disembarking from ship, then walking with luggage for processing at Ellis Island. Some immigrants peer across New York Harbor at the skyline of New York city. Scene change to 1975 and views of interiors of a no longer used building in Ellis Island. Names of persons carved on walls. A man shares his experience as an immigrant passing through Ellis Island, and then as an immigration inspector reviewing new immigrants as they arrived.
Vietnamese refugees board a ship to evacuate them from Vung Tau, South Vietnam in final days of the Vietnam war. The ship appears to be a naval vessel with the number "34" stenciled on her superstructure. The refugees board with all manner of belongings, such as mattresses, luggage, bicycles, and anything they could carry. They completely fill the deck of the ship.
Operation New Life in Vietnam. Major General Harry W. Brooks, Jr. inspects Refugee Processing Center facilities. Refugees walk in the camp area. An officer briefs the General. A board reads 'Camp Commander, 45th Spt Group Refugee Affairs Office.' General Brooks along with the officer comes out of the office. They inspect the area. The General and the officer get into a car and drive away.
Operation New Life in Vietnam. General Harry Brooks, Junior at the Refugee Processing Center. General brooks in a meeting along with two officers. He points at a map and briefs the officers. An officer listens while smoking a cigarette.
Operation New Life in Vietnam. United States carpenters construct a wooden framework for a building. Officers converse with each other. An officer's T-shirt reads Bravo Wolfhounds. A board in the background reads 'Operation New Life'.
Operation New Life in Vietnam. A board reads 'Freight Terminal Department, Naval Supply Depot'. Wooden makeshift shower facilities. A Red Cross flag flutters on a pole. United States officers seated inside a tent. Number of wheelchairs next to the tent.