Mixing classroom dramatization with documentary material, interviews with former students who recall barbaric punishments in the name of learning, and a 1932 newsreel of a triumphant Catholic congress in Dublin, this piece poses a challenging and controversial exploration of the Christian Brothers' education system in the 50s.

In pre-famine Ireland, when poverty and magic were rife, introverted farm girl Maura discovers a magical world of the imagination through the mysterious wanderer Scarf Michael. When her isolated rural community accuses her of witchcraft, she turns to her own supernatural powers for protection.

A young free-spirited Irish woman from an affluent Protestant family spontaneously befriends a street-smart commoner cheated by her family’s hostile land takeovers. They escape to America, ready to take advantage of the 19th century Oklahoma land rush.