Frank Tramontana, a hearse driver who unwittingly gets drawn into a scheme his co-workers have concocted for a series of unfortunate "accidents" designed to clean up the neighborhood and fill their funeral parlor with much needed customers.
A young filmmaker living in Boston's Italian district, the North End, wants to make a film about the neighborhood. He needs the blessing of a local celebrity, famous for playing gangsters in movies.
Having recently earned his college degree, Lorenzo Primavera (Eddie Malavarca) leaves his home in Boston to travel to his family's ancestral homeland in Italy -- as was requested by his late grandfather. Upon arriving, Lorenzo is offered a short-term position as coach for an American-style football team by the team's manager, Giulio Fellini (Maurizio Nichetti). As the young American immerses himself in his new duties, he makes the acquaintance of Paola Angelini (Violante Placido) and the two begin a friendship that quickly blossoms into something more. In between spending time with Paola and working with the team, Lorenzo also begins investigating his own family's history and learns the reason for his grandfather's departure from Italy, as well as why his grandfather never returned to visit. As Lorenzo begins to forge an identity for himself in Italy -- not to mention strong romantic attachments to Paola -- he must eventually decide whether or not to return to the States.
