When World War II veteran David Dubin dies at the age of eighty-eight, his son, Stewart Dubinsky, reflects on the taciturn father whom he never really knew. Stewart goes through David's effects and finds a letter written in 1945 by Grace Morton, the fiancée that David left behind. From this letter, Stewart learns that David jilted Grace, who waited eagerly for him to return home. More shocking, David Dubin had been court-martialed. Stewart is stunned to learn that his dad, a reserved, orderly, hardworking, and dignified man, a brilliant lawyer, a good provider, and a faithful husband to his wife for sixty years, had a "past" that he kept hidden from his children. What crime did David commit that led to his trial? Why did he go free? Who was this close-mouthed individual who lived underneath a thick protective shell?