And so they came to America. America the land of freedom and opportuinty, the land of hope. They came by the thousands. They arrived with little in their pockets but they were rich in dreams. And for each of them, the dream - or nightmare - began at 'Ellis Island'.

'Ellis Island' brings turn of the 20th Century America to life in all its vitality and vulgarity. And for the thousands of hopeful immigrants who poured daily into this new country's lifeblood, the promised land of America existed wholly in a mecca called New York.

Marco and Jake, two young immigrants who stumbled off the boat at Ellis Island, grew up to be two American men who would leave their mark. They remain symbols of hope for the two out of every five Americans alive today who are descendants of an Ellis Island immigrant...(6 pictures)