1943 an estate north of Firenze. The weight of the world is on the shoulders of Penny who's about 10. An orphan she must watch over her little sister when they go to live with her aunt and uncle. Penny's a Catholic and worries about her uncle's soul. He's Jewish progressive and a free thinker a fair boss and devoted to his family. He can be stern so Penny also worries that she'll never please him and that he won't love her. Then after the Allied forces land in Sicily and the Germans begin their retreat Penny must worry about her uncle's life. She tries logic and appeals to human decency. Can a child keep the sky from falling?