The story starts out in Cleveland, Ohio where Rick is playing quarterback for the Browns. After a terrible game he chooses to flee town and try to start over. His agent, Arnie, gets him a deal with the Parma Panthers of Italy. Rick decides to give it a try and moves out to Parma shortly after. He lives in the heart of the city and is surrounded by great food and strong Italian culture. The book takes place in the modern world and makes many references to real NFL players and events that happened. This book is fictional, but is realistic enough that it could easily be read as a true story. All of the struggles Rick faces are real struggles for some NFL hopefuls and the events that happen to him could easily happen to anyone.