If you dance with the devil, sooner or later you must pay the price... There are many devils in the world, and Emmett Casey's dance card is always full. And now it's time to pay up in Bless Me Father. The mean streets of inner-city Chicago are a tough place to grow up. Emmett Casey is a quick study but a slow learner, and he learns most of his lessons the hard way. As he navigates through the guilt and shame instilled by the Catholic nuns and priests, he realizes that he can only trust his own instincts and the example that his father sets for him. He struggles to function in a world where he is far too smart for a society that moves too slowly for his restless spirit. He finds trouble because it is more interesting than his day-to-day existence, but trouble can have mortal implications when it goes beyond interesting. The Army finds this young man, wandering directionless, and takes him to Vietnam—and the places within himself that he fears the most. Balancing heroism and catastrophe, Emmett walks through his damaged childhood to become a decorated veteran, finding trouble and salvation at every juncture. He prays for redemption but knows he doesn't deserve it, and forgiveness, although he cannot accept it. Ultimately, the time comes for him to choose: face his ill-conceived choices and rise above his actions—or die.