Mattie Foley dreams of escaping the harshness of life in the Dublin slums, but her dreams and reality become dangerously entwined with the discovery of a gun. When Statia Mulligan sets off to get feed for the hens, she longs for the peace and quiet of her favourite spot by the stream; she doesn't expect to become part of an ambush.

Larry Quinn goes after the cow that has strayed -- how could he know that in his absence the Black and Tans would force his mother to reveal all she knows?