The novel explores the life of a young Catholic man named Cal McCluskey living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a period of intense sectarian conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The story delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the personal cost of political violence.

Cal lives with his father in a Protestant neighborhood, where they face hostility due to their Catholic faith. He struggles with unemployment and the societal pressures from both the Catholic and Protestant communities. Cal becomes involved with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) through his friend Crilly, participating in activities that contribute to the cycle of violence.

The central plot of the novel revolves around Cal’s relationship with Marcella Morton, a young Catholic widow whose husband, a police officer, was killed by the IRA in an attack in which Cal was complicit. Wracked with guilt and seeking a way out of the violence, Cal becomes infatuated with Marcella, initially as a form of atonement. He takes a job at the local library to be closer to her and begins a complex and ultimately tragic romance.