Brought together by the sudden return of the erudite father who abandoned them nearly thirty years ago, the five Ginzburg children reunite in mid-life. Gifted and ambitious, competitive and funny, the siblings grudgingly put their complicated lives on hold to spend a weekend at the Catskills farmhouse that was once their summer home. Swept instantly into the treacherous, bittersweet tangle of old family alliances and resentments, they skirmish, match wits and rehash the past, meanwhile trying for all they're worth to ignore the ominous drumbeat of the passing hours--for their long-lost father, suffering from leukemia, is in the last moments of his life. With sharp wit and passionate empathy, Ellen Pall explores the innermost secrets of an engaging family as its strength is put to the test.