In 1961, MJ Galvin, an Irish building contractor in London, brings over his kid brother, Tom, to join the family business. Educated, sensitive and naive, and destined for the seminary, Tom witnesses a killing, learns about dead men and the start in Camden Town, experiences drunken brawls and the excitement of dancehall nights in the Galtymore.

He faces a decision that will shape his future: will he join his successful brother and make a fortune, or follow an inner voice towards the priesthood? The inner voice prevails, Tom enrols as a seminarian, goes to Rome, becomes a monsignor and is tipped for a bishopric.

But he renounces power and prestige, and is relegated to a quiet country parish disillusioned by the betrayal of principles within his Church as a new century dawns.

This powerful family saga evokes the tensions and transformations within a new Ireland as traditional values give way to consumerism and one man's odyssey becomes everyman's.