This short story collection introduces the world of Nanny Goat Hill in northern New Jersey during the 1920s and '30s, as seen through the eyes of young Maria, who observes the world around her and thinks too much about boys, nuns, sickness, death, romance, prejudice, and her big, sprawling Italian family, their boarders, step-parents, Irish and German neighbors, and assorted eccentric relatives and friends. Some of the stories are almost true.