In 1979， Vincent Bianco has just graduated high school。 His only desire: collect a little beer money and enjoy his final summer before college。 So he lands a job as a laborer on a construction crew。 Working alongside two Vietnam vets， one suffering from PTSD， Vincent gets the education of a lifetime。 Now forty years later， with his own son leaving for college， the lessons of that summer—Vincent’s last taste of innocence and first taste of real life—dramatically unfold in a novel about breaking away， shaping a life， and seeking one’s own destiny。