Pietro arrives in Milan with a battered suitcase full of memories, to take up a new job as concierge. Living in his palazzo are lost & eccentric souls: Poppi, a lawyer; Luciana & her son; & Luca, a doctor, whose wife Viola holds a secret that could destroy their marriage. Right from the start Pietro has a special interest in Luca & his family, & soon he`s letting himself into their apartment while everyone is out. As his story emerges in snatches & flashbacks, each prompted by his case of treasures, we begin to find out what has brought him to be guardian here, so late in his life.. . For readers of The Elegance of the Hedgehog & The Yacoubian Building, this is an atmospheric & unforgettable novel about the ties that bind.