Merika follows Milagros “Mila” Cruz, Nora Aunor, a Filipino nurse who has lived and worked in New Jersey for about five years in the early 1980s. She shares a rented apartment with Violet, Marilyn Concepcion, an overseas Filipino worker who has previously failed the NCLEX and is trying again to become a nurse in the United States.
The film opens with Mila preparing for a day at work, showing a quiet disengagement from the news and politics around her. She endures the long commute from New Jersey to Manhattan, where she works as a nurse and interacts with colleagues, including Danny, Marshall Factora, a Filipino immigrant medical technologist, and a Salvadoran nurse who is frequently unwell and taking time off. Mila also balances a second job at a nursing home after her shift, where she befriends Lolo Caloy, Cesar Aliparo, a Filipino immigrant and a retired musician who migrated to the United States before the Second World War.
Homesickness tugs at Mila as she yearns for the comforts and connections of home. She keeps in touch with her family through Corazon “Cora” Bautista, who is never shown onscreen, and receives letters and birthday cards from her. Mila sends money home, but the question of long-term stay in the United States looms large.
A festive turn comes when Violet brings Mila to a surprise birthday celebration at Danny’s home, under the pretext of borrowing exam materials. At the party, Mila and Violet reconnect with a mutual friend, Henry, Boogie Abaya, a data encoder. A new guest arrives with Mon Zablan, Bembol Roco, and there is undeniable chemistry between Mila and Mon. The couple enjoys a weekend together in midtown Manhattan, visiting sights such as the Empire State Building. Mon shares that he had been living in Los Angeles and has just moved to the East Coast for work, and Henry offers to introduce him to his boss to help him land a job.
Mila and Mon continue to see each other. Mon showers Mila with dinners, champagne, and even a car he bought after starting a new job. In their conversations, Mon praises the comforts and upward mobility that life in the U.S. can offer, while Mila remains hesitant, longing for a simpler life back in the Philippines. She also helps Violet prepare for the NCLEX, warning her to stay focused on the exam rather than casino distractions.
Henry advises Mila to be careful with Mon. Mila appreciates the concern and acknowledges Henry’s attraction to her, but she frames their relationship as sibling-like and insists they can only be friends. It seems that Violet and Henry drift apart from Mila, possibly because they have formed a couple themselves. Mila and Mon grow closer, and it is implied they share a night together. When Violet later shares Henry’s findings that Mon might be an illegal immigrant without a green card, Mila is compelled to reassess Mon’s true intentions.
Confronting Mon with the new information, he cannot fully deny the allegations while reaffirming his love for Mila. The possibility that marriage could secure Mon’s legal status in the United States weighs on Mila, especially since she herself holds a green card. She wonders whether she would still want to stay if she returned to the Philippines.
Seeking guidance, Mila confides in Lolo Caloy, who reveals his own fears about returning home after decades in the United States. Mila decides to return to the Philippines and asks Cora to inform her family. She bids farewell to Caloy, who asks whether she will report him to the authorities; Mila declines and also refuses his offered handshake.
In the final, quiet farewell, Mila tells her friends in the United States of her decision, and Violet and Henry accompany her to the airport as she prepares for a flight back to the Philippines.
