Giovanni Zappacosta-O' Hara' s boyfriend has cancer. Unable to handle watching the love of his life suffer, Gio flees to New York under the pretense of interviewing his great aunt about a ne'er-discussed scandal in the family history. But Gio' s boyfriend isn't content to let him wriggle away and books his own flight to New York; on September 11, 2001. Luckily, Gio's boyfriend's flight is grounded in the wake of the terror attack but the close call forces Gio to confront his own cowardice. He finds an unexpected but useful outlet in pursuing the story of the family scandal. What began as a flimsy excuse gives Gio a new sense of purpose. He delves into his own history and questions the version of events his family has been repeating for decades. He discovers a family legacy that is both hilarious and heartfelt and manages to see past himself in a quest to better understand where he fits in the world.