John and Mary Keane are two loving parents who are devoted to their four children. Like all parents who are raising their children in the mid-century, they want nothing but the best for them so they try to provide a nice, stable home life so that their children can grow up to thrive and be successful. They send their children to private, Catholic schools, attend mass on Sundays, involve themselves in the community by raising money for the church, and are on good terms with their neighbors. But then right at the time when their children become teenagers and young adults, it's the 1960's and they are faced with all the social struggles of that era, such as the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution. As each of their children get "caught up" in the sixties in one way or another, their parents feel like they are losing them and it's more than they can handle.

This book takes a look at the struggles parents face as they raise their children during a time when the world is changing and they are forced to deal with and adapt to these changes while still trying to maintain their moral values. I thought this was a good read and I liked the historical content of the story. I think the lesson to be learned is that children will make their own choices and sometimes these choices are not what you had in mind for them but you have little control over that and so you raise your children doing the best you can and when they become adults you have to learn to let go no matter how hard it is to do so.