Lisa, a young woman, digs into a dusty box that was retrieved from the attic and finds a treasure trove of manuscripts and letters.
Fascinated, she obtains the permission from her Godfather Henry, a retired teacher and writer, to read, select and eventually publish her find.
The selected manuscripts deal with a vast variety of life's aspects and foibles.
The discussion of three fogbound intellectual sailors on the Maine coast delves into deep thoughts, while a story of two teenage boys in rural Germany will put any reader into stitches.
Very sensitively, "A Concert" interprets a Dvorak string quartet and is complimented in the same mood by a narrative poem "Sonata for Guitar and Gardenia."
"The sergeant laughs and laughs" explains how laughter may be unhealthy, yet it may serve as a pressure valve that helps to handle the stress of combat.
The author could not possibly find a more appropriate and more intriguing title for this book, than: "I Laugh and My Heart Is Breaking.