The story of Annie's life turns on one evening during the Second World War, an evening spent in the back of a truck with an anonymous American soldier, a soldier who gave his name as Milwaukee. Milwaukee returned to America, never knowing of his daughter Mary, and Mary grew up not knowing of Milwaukee - for Annie and her mother decided to tell her that her father was dead, a war hero killed in battle.
But when Mary asks to visit her father's grave in France, Annie tells her the truth about her lie. It is a shock that sends Mary to America to find her real father, returning with a man Annie knows isn't Milwaukee. But Mary is set on a cycle of revenge, one that remains unresolved as Annie recalls her life in a hospice bed, with only her best friend Clemmie for support . . .
