"Finnegans Wake" discusses the Earwicker family: father HCE, mother ALP, and children Shem the Penman, Shaun the Postman, and Issy. Following a rumour about HCE, the book follows his wife's attempts to exonerate him with a letter, his sons' struggle to replace him, Shaun's rise to prominence, and a final monologue by ALP at the break of dawn.