When Margaret's fiance, John, is hospitalized for depression, she faces a choice: carry on with their plans, or leave. She decides to marry him. This is the story of what unfolds from this act of love and faith, when their three children help their mother to care for Michael. Told in alternating points of view by all five members of the family, this searing, gut-wrenching, and yet frequently hilarious novel brings alive with remarkable poignancy the depth of family love.