The Stowaway in First Class
An older man on a plane looks out the window at Paris at sunset, with a young couple from the 1920s reflected in the glass.

One journey changed generations. One truth waited a lifetime.

A film by Christopher MartiniBased on the book by Anthony DeSantis

“On March 1, 2022, my life took a drastic turn. My father’s story can now be told thanks to God’s gift of a restored life - a second chance - following a medical incident that nearly ended my own.”

“May Gaetano’s journey inspire the descendants of immigrants everywhere.”

Anthony DeSantisGaetano’s sonJuly 2023
Two men in 1920s suits stand on a Paris street looking at a small café, where a young woman is serving inside.
The same Paris café at night, its window lit, as two men watch from the dark street.

The story

Two men in 1920s suits stand on a Paris street looking at a small café, where a young woman is serving inside.

Paris, 1928

Gaetano “Guy” DeSantis, a farmer from Arce, Italy, has come to Paris for work and operates a crane on a construction site.

He waits more than an hour for a friend in the café where Marie works, his wine untouched.

When he tells her his name, she says, “Gaetano DeSantis. The one who stays.”

Her parents do not approve of him. Allowed out only with an escort, the two fall in love as they walk along the Seine.

He has a steady job, a life he likes, and Marie. He has given up on going to America.

The same Paris café at night, its window lit, as two men watch from the dark street.

The night he left

1929. Guy buys Marie a red rose, and she asks him to walk with her after work.

Before he can meet her, a stranger comes to his door.

His cousin Frank, the stranger says, has paid a year’s wage to bring him to America, and the money is lost unless Guy leaves that night.

On his way out, Guy walks past the café and sees Marie through the window.

She never sees him.

Cover of The Stowaway in First Class by Anthony DeSantis, showing the bow and anchor chain of an ocean liner against a sunset sky.

The book

The Stowaway in First Class

By Anthony DeSantis

  • Published by Flagship Press, March 12, 2025
  • Sold in the United States, Italy, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and India
  • An Amazon best seller in its categories, #2 in Drama and Plays about Emigration and Immigration on September 17, 2026, with the paperback and Kindle editions ranked in U.S. biography and immigration history
  • Reviewed by Sea History, the magazine of the National Maritime Historical Society, and by the National Italian American Foundation’s magazine

The community

Since the book came out, Italian-American museums, clubs, lodges, and heritage societies have been putting this story in front of their members, and Guy’s hometown has put it on its stage.

  1. May 4, 2025

    Washington, DC

    The Italian American Museum of Washington, DC, launched the book, and its president wrote the press release

  2. June 21, 2025

    Arce, Italy

    The Comune di Arce presented a limited Italian edition, Il clandestino in prima classe, at the Sala Teatro, with Tony speaking

  3. January 12, 2026

    Jupiter, Florida

    The Italian American Club of Palm Beach

  4. April 16-19, 2026

    Northern Virginia and Washington, DC

    Four events in four days for the Nativity Italian Cultural Heritage Society, Our Lady of Sorrows Italian Heritage Society, and Sons of Italy Fairfax Lodge, closing with Tony and Chris together at a fireside chat for the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center and the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society

    Christopher Martini and Tony DeSantis seated in conversation before an audience, beside a banner of the book and a portrait photograph on an easel.
    Chris Martini and Tony DeSantis, Washington, DC, April 19, 2026
    Tony DeSantis speaks at a podium beside family photographs on easels.
    Tony DeSantis, Washington, DC, April 19, 2026

The filmmakers

  • Christopher Martini in profile beside a film camera.

    Christopher Martini

    Writer, Director and Producer

    Directing since 2007, with 64 credits and 39 awards. Features include Trooper and What the Night Can Do; documentaries include The Tree of Art and The Relentless Patriot.

  • Portrait of Anthony DeSantis.

    Anthony DeSantis

    Author and Executive Producer

    Guy’s son, who brought him back to Paris in 1986.

  • Portrait of Jack Sarsen.

    Jack Sarsen

    Executive Producer

Contact

For press and partnership inquiries