Two Italian women figure out their lives while in New York City.

A boy finally comes to understand why his grandmother insists that the family come to Ellis Island each year to celebrate Lady Liberty's birthday.

It's 1949 in south Philadelphia. Diligent, hard-working, and proud, the Palazzinis have built a solid life for themselves and their three sons. Now that World War II is over, their sons, each one a decorated veteran, have returned home to the family cab company, to rejoin their world as it was before they left. But their future and fortunes are forever changed by a telegram, and the nephew who delivers it.

Pretending to have a much more glamorous family life, eleven-year-old Isabella worries that her new friends at a prestigious private school will discover that she is a "big fibbing, faking phony."

As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death.

In 1889, Tony Petrosino, a fourteen-year-old Italian American immigrant, wants to continue his education but his father wants him to become a full-time newsboy to give more to the family.

In 1895, Gina, a fourteen-year-old Italian immigrant, tries to break free of the control her parents have over her life.

Jennie is as close to her grandfather as a mouse can be, and when he suddenly dies she keeps thinking she sees him turning a corner, sitting on a bench, heading for the pier, or walking along their beloved beach, seeking the elusive Queen's teacup seashell.