In 1953, Penny and her mother live in NJ with her mother's plain old American Methodist parents (Me-me and Pop-pop). Penny's father died when she was a baby, under circumstances that are mysterious to Penny. Her father's family is a large and loving and fun Italian-American family, and Penny spends as much time with them as she can - even though her mother and Me-me and Pop-pop don't seem to approve of them. Penny's having a reasonably good summer - except for not being allowed to go to the pool for fear of polio, and the fact that her mother is dating Mr. Mulligan, the milkman - until Penny is badly injured in an awful accident, and she discovers things about her mother and father, Mr. Mulligan, her favorite uncle and her country that change many of her opinions.