After 14 years in prison, former IRA member Danny Flynn (Daniel Day-Lewis) is returning to the neighborhood where his teenage sweetheart, Maggie (Emily Watson) has managed to survive by marrying, and then raising the son of Danny's best friend. Ill at ease in the outside world, Danny is imploding from 14 years of seclusion. Cultural taboos and unwritten rules militate against Maggie and Danny. Friends, family and IRA members watch their every move, observing their forbidden glances. In the boxing ring, Danny is home. There the rules provide a structure that the chaotic streets of Belfast cannot, and therefore offer him a way to communicate with dignity and, in the process, rebuild his life...