Academy Award-winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Danny) and Academy Award-nominee Emily Watson (Maggie) play star-crossed lovers, caught in the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland. When former IRA member Danny returns to the neighborhood after 14 years in prison and re-opens a boxing ring in effort to heal the community, he finds that a legacy of violence is not easily escaped from. Danny and Maggie have been drawn to each other since they were teenagers growing up in Belfast, but because of where they were born, their lives have been shaped by random danger. Maggie has managed to survive by marrying, and then raising a son by Danny's best friend. Cultural taboos and unwritten rules militate against Maggie and Danny. Friends, family and IRA members watch their every move, observing their forbidden glances. But in the boxing ring, Danny is home. There, the rules provide a structure that the chaotic streets of Belfast cannot, and therefore offer him a way to communicate with dignity and, in the process, rebuild his life. A devastating drama of amazing strength.