At twenty-three, Reno Cova, a prisoner of war in a real life 1940s World War II camp in Weingarten, Missouri, where thousands of Italian POWs were interned, falls madly in love with Katy McNeeley, a beautiful twenty-year-old civilian worker there. The two must keep their relationship a secret or risk having Reno sent to another camp for "fraternizing." Reno and Katy carry on their clandestine relationship in constant fear of being caught until they are unexpectedly kidnapped and held hostage by a trio of violent anti-American Blackshirt escapees and become involved in an espionage plot. At gunpoint by day and tied up at night, the terrified hostages endure a hair-raising trek through the forest, deepening the love between them. At war's end, the sweethearts reluctantly part when Reno has to go back to Italy, vowing to return to America and marry Katy...but a bizarre twist of fate intervenes. It is only as an old man that Reno comes back to America, hoping to find Katy again and put his lifelong regrets to rest. This poignant story of young wartime lovers torn apart by an emotional landmine will capture the heart of anyone of any age who has ever suffered the loss of a love through forces beyond the lovers' control and has finally found redemption.
