Life for 12-year-old Ashley Doherty and his two brothers is safe and unremarkable until their father dies on Memorial Day weekend in 1963. After that, their lives become tumultuous, as their mother struggles to raise three boys alone while coping with her grief and depression. Within a year, the Doherty family implodes, destroying their relationships. Based on true events, What will People Say? follows Ashley as he tries to rise above the chaos in his family and achieve his ambitions. Along the way, Ashley encounters weird people, a nasty priest, incompetent teachers, a sick psychiatrist, an obtuse judge, and seductive women. The animosity his mother and brothers aim at him is appalling. Still, you will admire Ashley's humor and resiliency. This story will be familiar to anyone from a dysfunctional family.