The preparations for the nuptials of Italian racing cyclist Val and photographer Emma- Jean in Brooklyn are shrouded by a sense of threat. But why? Might it be because Val's American cousin Luke does everything in his power to be helpful to the groom to the point of pushiness, though it seems he was once Emma-Jean's lover himself? Or because Luke, a doctor of philosophy, pays for his comfortable lifestyle with the proceeds of funeral orations he delivers throughout the United States? Or because the bride keeps taking risks to uncover a secret whose discovery could derail her own marriage?