The Blast

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San Francisco, 1916, is a city in turmoil, witnessing fierce clashes between radical workers and industrial barons, alongside a dynamic Italian anarchist community opposing state and church forces. Amidst the backdrop of a looming European war and rising calls for U.S. involvement, Kate Jameson, a novice envoy from Washington, arrives to investigate war support among the business elite. She hopes to find her estranged daughter, Maggie, whose last message came from this city, and to seek the ghost of her husband, Jamey, who returned shattered from the Philippines war fifteen years prior. Simultaneously, Baldo Cavanaugh, a Sicilian-Irish native with militant beliefs, returns to confront his own demons after fleeing the city three years earlier. Their paths intersect amid the city's chaos, revealing the complexities of their pasts in Boston, Dublin, London, Cuba, and the Philippines. This compelling narrative intertwines the personal and political, showcasing a vivid portrait of a city grappling with its identity during a moment of profound upheaval. The story unfolds against a backdrop of historical figures and events, illuminating the explosive mix of personal struggles and broader societal issues.