In 'A Replacement Life,' Slava Gelman, a journalist striving for literary fame, treads morally dubious waters when tasked with forging Holocaust-restitution claims for Brooklyn's old Russian Jews. The quest thrusts him into a quagmire of ethical dilemmas as he grapples with the weight of his cultural heritage and the lengths to which one might go for family. As Gelman spins elaborate tales of suffering, he confronts the blurred lines between fact and fiction. Decisions lead to irreversible consequences, shaping his identity and demanding a heavy toll from those he holds dear—the price of forging a new life at the expense of truth and justice.