This book starts out in New York, in the Brooklyn area. This in pre/during the start of WW2. The deppresion is just ending. There are two different Jewish religions, Orthodox and Hasidic. The first, paragraph of the book starts out by saying:"For the first 15 years of our lives Danny and I lived within 5 blocks of each other and neither of us knew of the other's existence." I thought this was a wierd way to start a book out because I know nothing about either boy. After this introduction, it sets the story on a Sunday afternoon in early June on a baseball field. The Hasidic Jews are warming up for a baseball game. The game will be played against the Orthodox Jews.