"Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed. Eileen can't help but dream of a calmer life, in a better neighborhood. When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she's found the perfect...

In 1863, twelve-year-old Danny and his older sister Kathleen arrive in New York City to start a new life, but they soon find themselves navigating through the same prejudices and struggles they experienced in Ireland.