The Wacky World of Winnie and Willie

Seventeen-year-old Winona Scharf and her sixteen-year-old cousin, William Weinstein, return to their childhood summer home at Rockaway Beach in order to witness its demolition as a result of a massive redevelopment program for that region.

As the building is razed, Winnie and Willie relive memories of the early 1950s when their summer home, Scharf's St. Regis, was one of the most sought-after rooming houses in the Rockaways. Their early lives unfold in a multitude of learning experiences that all meld together to give them the strength and courage to survive in an increasingly more challenging world.