Lacking the more radical Republican beliefs of his dear friends Ned Halloran and Sile Duffy, Henry reports the political -- and later, bloody -- actions of his fellow Irishmen, from the ashes of the failed 1916 Rising to the creation of the Irish Free State to the tragic and wide-ranging battles of the Irish Civil War.

Meanwhile, Henry feels the impact of these history-changing events in his own personal life. His friendship with Ned falters when their political beliefs diverge, and an unexpected tragedy leaves them further apart than ever.