Susan Killeen, his first girlfriend, remained a steadfast ally throughout his life.

From 1917, his girlfriend, Madeline (Dilly) Dicker, helped to ease the burden of his huge workload as well as acting as a secret agent. Society ladies Moya Llewelyn Davies and Lady Hazel Lavery were conduits between Collins and the British Establishment and active participants in his work of espionage.

In the final years of his life the true romantic passion between him and Kitty Kiernan is testified to by their frequent correspondence.These women, and many others who participated in the national struggle, women such as Kathleen Clarke, Leslie Price, Peg Barrett, Nancy O'Brien, Madge Hales and Collins' sister Mary Collins Powell, are woven into this fascinating narrative of Collins' life.