Every year, Canada receives hundreds of thousands of international students. To make the most of their experience, many opt to live with a host family. Homestay is one family’s story and a look at how complete immersion in another culture can change our understanding of family and love.

The folded paper-craft world represents the garden that narrator Paisley Smith visited while grieving for the loss of a friend and “family member,” and signifies the failure of cultural symbols to fully represent people in all their complexity.