DECEMBER 1944: Raleigh, North Carolina Those were the years they learned to slow dance with girls who wore angora sweaters and smelled of perfume and a hint of promise … So begins the engaging coming-of-age story of Jonathan Clayton and his family in the closing years of World War II, and the years beyond. It tells of the adventures and misadventures of Jonathan and his friends, the first tastes of romantic passion, sexual awakening, family love and devotion-and death. We experience, with Jonathan, the pain and joy of growing and maturing, and the new direction Jonathan’s life will take.