Belfast in 1916, and 14-year-old Helen is shaped by her mixed background rural, Catholic Irish values from her mother; urban, Protestant Ulster ones from dad. Her parents are relaxed in their politics but others in the family circle are more extreme: Aunt Violet is a die-hard anti-Home Ruler, while Uncle Sean is staunchly nationalist. Helen s older cousin Sandy joined the army straight from school and has already seen action in France, while cousin Michael is deployed to Dublin to help quell the Rising, where he s expected to open fire on his fellow Irishmen. Who and what are they fighting...