The story recounts the life of a family in Connecticut from the early 1920's to its move to California arriving on V-J Day, August 15, 1945. The story begins prior to WW I recounting how a soldier, an Italian immigrant, returns to Waterbury, Connecticut following the War. He has received his citizenship by serving in the War. He becomes a leader in the barber union movement, veteran affairs, and the politics of Waterbury and to some degree the State. The difficulty of unionizing is described through actual events. The veteran's movement is also described through actual accounts. During the years from 1939 to 1945, the story is told from the perspective of the youngest son. During those years, the accounts relate growing up during a time that was intense with both patriotism and with uncertainty. He describes from his perspective, his early remembrances of a family, secure in its home and in its Italian traditions. Then the story changes to the need for adjustments in a three-story flat in a low-income section of the city. He perceives the events of change and describes them with an understanding that will capture the interest of readers of all ages.
