He lived with a box in a closet for five decades. A box he told them not to touch.

During those years their lives were consumed with the tragedies of death, mental illness, a house fire, the Great Depression, war.

In this true story, Author Karin Wargel delves into the life-time of the strong, talented genius who was the father of twelve children and her grandfather, Paul Schultetus. She discovers how they were able to carry on; by teaching the constellations from blankets in the yard on starry nights; by teaching a foreign language at breakfast; by having the rare library and radio in the neighborhood; and by making home-made ice cream in an old sorghum can. The family was still able to find much joy and the happiness that was provided every day by hard-working, loving parents.

Karin also visited Germany and acquaints herself with the lives of her ancestors and the well-known historical events they surmounted. They fled France during the routing of the Huguenots. They lived under the scourge of Communism. Her greatest discovery was the genes they possessed and sent to America that affected the lives of their descendants.

What secrets does the mysterious box hold? Who finally has the strength to go against their beloved father and look inside this box after fifty years?