Part travelogue and part journalism, this is above all a view of the 1994 World Cup Finals in America, seen chiefly through the eyes of the Italian and Irish football supporters - both the travelling contingent and native American communities. Using football as a backdrop for a wider range of issues, Don Watson draws on music and literature, and examines attitudes to nation and patriotism, and to the culture of being in exile. And as well as the fortunes of Italy and Ireland, those of the other World Cup teams are considered.