This often humorous, occasionally sad and emotional memoir begins in the 1800's; but most of the action takes place on post-war Chalmers Street in the small, predominantly protestant Canadian textile town of Galt in Southern Ontario. Older brother Jim is the lead voice with numerous injections, in their own words, from his four sisters, friends, and relatives. The story ends with the death of a sister, causing Jim to cherish having recorded for posterity the triumphs and agonies of his family. He's glad he risked the sensitivities stirred and the secrets threatened by the simple story of a brother and his four sisters seeking their own identities.