Summary

At a garrison town on the border of Norther Ireland, Cushla Lavery works behind the counter at the bar her family owns. Her brother, Eamonn, works alongside her. For the past several years they have been forced to give quarter to English soldiers there, many of whom are abusive toward them. One such man gropes Cushla when she brings him his pint and proceeds to insult her when he comes up to the bar. Eamonn clearly feels emasculated but cannot stop him. A Protestant man at the bar named Michael Agnew sticks up for Cushla and offers to stay with her at the bar when Eamonn goes home. Cushla and Michael chat for a while, and he follows her home in his car to ensure she is safe. Her mother, Gina, explains that she has known Michael since they were in...