Life has been hard for Shell since the death of her mam. Her dad has given up work and turned his back on reality, leaving Shell to care for her brother and sister. When she can, she spends time with her best friend Bridie and the charming persuasive Declan, sharing cigarettes and irreverent jokes.Shell is drawn to the kindness of father Rose, a young priest, but soon finds herself in the centre of an escalating scandal that rocks the small Irish community to its foundations.