Colleagues and relatives reflect on the dynamic life of Irish writer Brendan Behan, beginning with his adolescent years as an activist and his affiliation with the IRA youth group, Fianna Éireann. Behan rises to fame as a poet and playwright and achieves international success in the wake of his successful autobiography, "Borstal Boy." But in his later years, Behan's prominence wanes as alcoholism, egotistical tendencies and a growing obsession with celebrity begin to overtake him.

Irish Brigid Mary blames the English for the deaths of her fiance, brother, and father. Becoming a nurse following WW I she finds herself caring for what she considers the enemy. Then she begins to fall in love with soldier Kenneth Boyd.