Purgatoire

Purgatoire follows a family of Northern Italian immigrants who come to Colorado at the start of the twentieth century in search of a better life, but instead find themselves struggling for freedom in a society that demands toughness from men and tries to extinguish the fire in women. As discrimination, extortion, and Prohibition close in on them, the men succumb to drinking, crime, and mental illness, while the women find strength in themselves, and in each other, to survive. Set in Colorado's rural mining communities, Purgatoire traces how the shame and secrecy of one man's abandonment haunts the family for generations. Based on Prato's paternal ancestors, the characters include a single mother-turned saloon girl, a violin protegee who loses his grip on reality, a merchant facing extortion from the vengeful Mano Nera, an immortal cat yearning for family, a bootlegger and his teenage daughter, and stranded souls who narrate, speak, and interfere-sometimes with tragic consequences.