Summary

As he steams across the Atlantic to New York at the close of World War I, Ciro is in many a broken man. He grieves intensely all of his losses—his parents, his brother, his innocent way of life in the Italian Alps and, most painfully, the separation from Enza. Unsure about his mother's whereabouts and health, hurt by the death of his father, and feeling excommunicated by Eduardo, Ciro fervently hopes that Enza is waiting for him for an exchange of hearts.

Vito sends letters to Marco in California and Giacomina in Schilpario asking for Enza'a matrimonial hand and describing the kind of life he hopes to provide for her. This is both a joy and a new sadness for the Ravanellis, as Enza's marriage certainly means she will be out of their lives. Borrowing from novelist Thomas Wolfe ("You...