Maeve returns home to Belfast after a long absence. Her arrival in the city stimulates a series of memories of childhood and adolescence both in herself and other people.

8-year-old Terry comes to stay with his uncle and aunt on their farm on one of the magical Irish isles. But this is a lonely place for a little boy whose mother has just died... A movie of Celtic pathos, "The Schooner" will remain in the memory long after its viewing.