Two Irish immigrants - one wealthy, one poor - connect in Philadelphia during the anti-immigrant riots of 1844. The wealthy man emergences from the rubble to prosper in the city's industry, winning election to a seat on Common Council, profiting from the Civil War, and raising children who become prominent in the nation's capital, while the poor man succumbs to disease, his sons destroyed by the war. The wealthy man's family is involved in the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators, the creation of the Congressional Record, leadership of the Pension Bureau, building of the Panama Canal and diplomatic efforts to end World War I; they meet with presidents and other powerful men; profiting from their government contacts, they narrowly avoid scandal. The poor man's family members suffer from post-traumatic stress from the war; they engage in bigamy, become con-artists, bar tenders, and bare-knuckle fight promoters. They get arrested and jailed. The Catholic religion to which both families belong divides the tolerant from the intolerant, and the two families from each other - until one member of the poor family becomes an army pilot during WWI, winning the heart of the only daughter in the wealthy family, and they marry. From that point on, the tables are reversed, the poor man achieving fame and success in business, sports and entertainment. He, too, meets with presidents and is tapped for government service in support of war. But what finally happens when the sixth generation arrives is enough to test the tolerance of all.

This history of the two families is intermingled with the history of America from the 1840's to the 1960's. 446 pages, complete with six appendices, numerous maps and illustrations, and over fifteen hundred footnotes full of source citations.