Something happens that breaks Liam O'Brien's heart in two. In the wake of grief he leaves Australia to return to his small hometown in Ireland. Back in Ballymore, everything's the same as it always was - or so it seems. Life for Liam's brother Tommy and his mates is a groggy dance of factory work and Guinness, and Liam feels more alone with his secrets than ever.
When Paddy Mullins talks of saving the ancient wall he believes to be the town's last remnant of the past, Tommy ropes in Liam and his old flame Kathleen to help, and plans a party. Love, music and the auld craic make their world go round, but it's the traditional storyteller, the seanachie, who restores their spirit.