1975, in a town outside Belfast. Whilst working one night behind the bar of her family pub, serving a mixed crowd including the locally stationed soldiers, Catholic schoolteacher Cushla meets Michael, an older Protestant married man, who often defends IRA suspects and is friends with cultured Bohemians who enrage and intrigue Cushla. Worlds apart, Cushla knows a relationship like this spells all kinds of trouble, but they are irresistibly drawn to one another.  

In a place where loose lips cost lives and danger lurks in the shadows, amidst the fear and paranoia, this illicit affair between Cushla and Michael ignites and burns bright...