1973, Houston
Seriously injured by a horrific bombing in Derry, Northern Ireland, Brendan has fallen into an Akinetic Catatonia, where he is barely aware of what is going on around him. Some members of the Provisional IRA want him dead because they think he tried to warn the targets of the bombing. At the same time, the British Army has grown to believe he helped set the bomb and wants to interrogate him.
But thanks to a scribbled note he left for his mother, the UK passport he had just received, a job offer on a ship in Cobh, and the train ticket he had purchased, one-way to Dublin, all evidence suggests he had left town prior to the explosion. So that is the story all parties settle on.
In truth, while his wounds were being tended to, it was discovered he was born with a heart condition that needs attention. So he was snuck into the US on a medical visa to be treated by a cardiologist, using the name Brennan McGabbhinn, a distant cousin who died as a child.
Now for six months, he's been kept hidden in an attic room in Houston, Texas, slowly mending and staying out of sight of everyone except his Aunt Mari, Uncle Sean, and cousins -- Scott, Brandi, and Bernadette.
But while Brendan's body may be healing, his mind is still torn by horrific memories of that day; the understanding that Joanna, the girl he loved more than anything, is dead; that his family's still caught in the brutality of The Troubles; and that he is not allowed to contact them.
In an attempt to regain his center...as well as make a little money...he starts to repair items for the neighborhood help - simple things like irons, toasters, lawn mowers and the like. He also develops tentative friendships with Everett, a graphic artist, and Jeremy, a high school friend of Scott's. And while he is not fond of the extreme heat and humidity of a Houston summer; he grows to believe he has found a place of safety in a city of wealth and promise.
But he comes to realize that appearances can be deceiving...and promises are not always kept.