A CLASSIC TALE OF THE LOVES, CRIMES AND STRUGGLES CONFRONTED BY ONE FAMILY OF IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY. From the barren farms of Italy to the cramped tenements of New York, Lucia Santa - wife, widow and mother of two families - must steer them through the Depression and the early years of war as they adapt to life in a strange land. However, she cannot prevent the conflict between Italian and American values - nor the violence and bloodshed which must surely follow.