Bernie McPhelimy and her family are quite used to seeing helicopters hovering overhead, armoured cars patrolling their street, soldiers lying on their lawn and gunmen crouching in their doorway. But Bernie draws the line when one of her friends is caught in crossfire and killed in front of her young son's eyes.

Despite friendly warnings not to get involved in politics, she speaks out in public, but the manipulative pro-British press twist her heartfelt words into an anti-IRA campaign. The MacPhelimy's find themselves ostracized by their own community.