The novel begins in the nineteenth century, as a Sicilian accordion-maker comes to the United States in search of better opportunities. He is shot by an anti-Italian lynch mob, and his accordion falls into the hands of several other owners, many of whom meet painful ends themselves. The accordion traverses a continent, traveling to Louisiana, Iowa, Texas, Maine, Illinois, Montana, and Mississippi. Divided into nine sections and spanning a century, this novel illuminates the lives of the founders of a nation, descendants of Mexicans, Poles, Germans, the Irish, Scots and Franco-Canadians. Through the music of the accordion they express their fantasies, sorrows and exuberance.