Like threads of delicate gold, the lives of two young Italian lovers, Enza Ravanelli, a practical girl born into poverty, and Ciro Amadei, a dreamer raised in a convent orphanage, are woven together in this novel set against the landscape of world events in the first half of the 20th century. Like the times they were born into, Enza and Ciro's story is filled with surprising twists and turns. Together, they embrace the promise of a new and better life as they attempt to survive by the labour of their own hands. But when Ciro is diagnosed with a deadly cancer from the bombs he endured in World War I, he returns home alone to Italy to say goodbye, and solve a final mystery about his family. All seems lost, but the new generation of the Amadei family rises, led by a feisty widow who loves her family and new country beyond all telling. A devoted and new patriot, Enza offers her only son to serve in World War II, and a surprising ending leads to a new era for the Amadei family.