This is a novel of loss and retrieval. The main protagonists are Agostina and Giulia, mother and daughter, who have been separated by the trials of assimilation. The father's (Rocco) Alzheimer's disease acts as a catalyst for the mother and daughter's re-acquaintance with themselves. As Rocco's memory progressively deteriorates Agostina and Giulia regain paradoxically their own memories as women, and as mother and daughter. This is an emotional work about regained confidence in family life and cultural self-knowledge, where love so often underestimated begins to lead to a permanent personal and collective healing.