All Her Worldly Goods follows main character Antoinette Theresa Maria Margiani, "Toni", a twenty-four year old Italian American woman who discovers that none of us are quite what we seem, even to ourselves . This realization comes as the result of circumstances, particularly the sudden death of her parents and a burglary. She flees her apartment in Chicago after discovering the Chicago detective who investigates the burglary is stalking her and goes to an abbey with the sole aim of sanctuary. There she learns, with the help of mentor Sister Catherine, long held family secrets and new tools for managing the changed person she becomes.
The era for the story the 1970s. Toni's Chicago south side extended Italian family, particularly her aunts Malya and Elna, provide rich back story.