Tim Brogan is brought up in a small Pennsylvania steel mill town during the nineteen forties. He comes of age in the fifties and expects his life to follow an upright path similar to his grandfather, father and uncles if only he lives by the rules that society and the church have charted out for its members. By the early sixties, carrying the wounds of lost love and ruined dreams, he abandons the wholesome life he expected to live. He gives into his desires of living his life in a less rigid manner. However, the despondency of broken dreams infests his spirit. He is unable to find happiness even when given a second chance at love and marriage. Finally, he seeks out a new life, one that if lived as intended will require commitment, and occasionally great faith and courage. He finds some contentment with this new way of life, but he can never get accustomed to the loneliness.