The show is set in the World War 2 Californian town of Ithaca (a classical reference to the place Ulysess longed to return from his Odyssey). 14 year old Homer Macauley, a telegram messenger, faces the day-to-day sorrows and joys of the town. His mother Kate struggles to support her children following the death of her husband; his older brother Marcus is in the army; his teenage sister Bess daydreams about romance; and his younger brother Ulysses divides his attention between the passing trains and an unrequited desire to know why his father had to die. Other characters include Spangler and Grogan, who run the telegraph office, Spangler's girlfriend Diana, Marcus's orphaned army buddy Toby and Marcus's sweetheart Mary. There are glimpses of deep pain in the story, especially when Homer brings his mother the telegram announcing the death of his older brother, and the scene in which the bereaved citizens are presented with neatly folded American flags in memory of their dead soldier sons.