While newspaper headlines scream about the war against Germany and Japan, battles of a different sort reside within the LaStrada household. Rocco, a young musician, has big dreams and talent to match. Music is as close to him as the beating of his heart. But life at home is an everyday struggle. Unspoken fears have plagued him since early childhood when Pa's abuse began. Neither music nor his love for Julie can sustain him. He must find a way to achieve wholeness. Violent toward his wife because of a long-ago misdeed and disgusted with L'America's empty promises for a decent life, Tony LaStrada fights an ongoing war. His only safe haven exists in the lockbox of his memories. G is the stranger in a black Cadillac, a mystery man who has been waging a silent battle within himself for many years. On a hot day in August, 1945, he crosses the LaStrada threshold and drops a bomb.