The telling of Ratatat Man begins in 1969 as Oliver Denton is settling into fourth grade at Saint Michael’s Parish School. Tapping the drum in the ?children’s Christmas choir gives the lad a bit of stability despite a precarious upbringing. Losing a dad to Vietnam and a mama to despair, Oli finds himself in the care of his aunt. Yet, in the close quarters where the two live, he unwittingly finds himself in the cross-fire of a troubled marriage between two neighbors. Did the beat of his drum create the perfect cover for the perfect crime? One thing for certain, the memory of that December night follows him still. Now, in the nightclub scene of jazz and blues, Christmas, again, draws nigh. But this year, an unexpected friendship helps him to finally unwrap the truth.