The action begins and ends in the section of Manhattan often called "Little Italy." Other New York landmarks important to the story include Greenwich Village, Washington and Sheridan squares, Penn Station, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Seventh Avenue, the Avenue of the Americas, Mott Street, and, of course, Bleecker Street.

Amidst the bustling cacophony of the New York setting, the Enrico family's apartment becomes the pivotal spot where the action unfolds. Three generations of Enricos live in the apartment: Grampa and Nonna, Joey's mother and father, and Joey and his younger sister, Linda. Absorbed with concerns of dayto-day living in a 1940s ItalianAmerican household, Grampa and Nonna take care of Linda, while the mother cooks and cleans. As the story begins, Joey's father is fighting in World War II, but Sgt. Enrico soon returns from the war to resume his work as a locally famous frame-maker. Joey and his friends...