A series of seriocomic vignettes linked to the impact of World War II on a proud family and its town. Set in a southern hamlet between July 1944 and July 1945, the story revolves around the family's patriarch, Jake Tibbetts, the feisty publisher of the local newspaper, Jake's compassionate yet spirited wife, Pastine, their sensitive teenage grandson Lonnie, and Francine Tibbetts, the wife of Jake and Pastine's estranged son, who appears suddenly one hot summer day, unannounced, alone—and very pregnant.