A woman, Tara Maguire (Robin Wright) scandalizes her provincial Irish village in the 1950s by having a baby out of a wedlock, also refusing to name the father. She has a rare beauty and every man in town desires her, especially Sergeant Hegarty (Albert Finney). The arrival of some dramatic troupe stirs up things much more, particularly if she falls deeply in love with one f the"Playboys", Tom Casey (Aidan Quinn).