Youngsters Clare O'Brien and David Power make education their means of escape from life in their impoverished Irish town.

Clare makes further progress in her quest to leave Castlebay behind, winning a scholarship to University in Dublin.

David Power, also a student in Dublin, begins a friendship with Clare that soon springs into a fiery romance.

David and Clare move back to Castlebay, but without the degree and career that she wanted, Clare feels trapped and unable to deal with the demands of motherhood.