On Christmas Eve, Frankie Pesce of Queens wins $6 million in New York State’s first lottery. Instead of joy, he’s in a rage, breaking church windows and disturbing the peace. At the police station, he tells his story. He’s extraordinarily lucky, beginning with surviving a dicey childbirth; he works a little here and there; he still lives with his parents, his sister, her husband, and his older brother. They have noisy relationships, and at the heart is his father: a guy with dreams but little to show for them. Dad has lost his trucking business to a Mafia wise guy, now he’s lost his job as a teamster. But is dad really a loser, and why, after winning $6 million, is Frankie desolate?