Being a dedicated and exceptional doctor, Gisella is eager to become an American citizen and resume her medical practice. Problems arise, however, when the Department of Immigration and Naturalization refuses to grant her citizenship because she had worked in the Auschwitz medical department which gives the implication that she had collaborated with the nazis. Medical practice in Auschwitz was not what we know medicine to be. The doctors were not working to actually save people's lives, it was after all a death camp and the prisoners were there for one reason - to die. Under the infamous nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death", Auschwitz doctors conducted brutal and often useless medical experiments on the prisoners.

In 1947, Gisella found herself at hearings before US immigration officers as she defended herself against the accusation that she collaborated with Josef Mengele. The film backtracks as she tells her story to the immigration officers. After having established her practice in Sighet during WWII, the nazis invaded Hungary in 1944 and as part of the "Final Solution" began deporting the Jewish population to the death camps. Gisella Perl was arrested and deported to Auschwitz. Her story is painful and heartbreaking as she finds herself at the mercy of Mengele, who was fascinated with the phenomenon of twin births and was eager to make use of Gisella's expertise in the field of gynecology.

As Gisella stands before the immigration officers, her memoir is difficult and intricate, and one discovers that there are no easy answers in this strong and complex film. Under the direction of Joseph Sargent, the viewer is realistically taken into the world of the Auschwitz death camp and the struggle for survival. With effective camera work and masterful acting, Gisella's story and emotions becomes palpable. There are stand out performances from Christine Lahti as Gisella Perl and Jonathan Cake as Josef Mengele.

Out of the Ashes takes a powerful and disturbing look into the dark sides of humanity and shows the complexities of the human spirit.