It is Ireland in the early 1950s and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce.
And just as she takes tentative steps towards friendship, and perhaps something more, Eilis recei.
She is far from home - and homesick.
Arriving in a crowded lodging house in Brooklyn, Eilis can only be reminded of what she has sacrificed.
So when her sister arranges for her to emigrate to New York, Eilis knows she must go, leaving behind her family and her home for the first time.
It is Ireland in the early 1950s and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce