Kotzebue (Lang) is an androgynous Alaskan pipeline worker, who goes to the public library to find out who her parents were. The librarian, Roswitha (Zech), is an East German immigrant who lost her husband while escaping from behind the Iron Curtain. Roswitha befriends the young woman, and the relationship evolves into a deep friendship with strong lesbian overtones. When they first meet, Kotzebue throws books to attract Roswitha’s attention and leaves gifts on her doorstep. At first Roswitha mistakes her admirer for a man, insulting Kotzebue, so she strips in the library to prove that she is a woman. Together they help each other find closure in their past. Salmonberries is a moving and unexpected love story about two lost souls coming together.