Plot
In 1971, civil servant William Coughlan, seeing a sunbeam illuminating his desk blotter, suddenly feels inspired, so he quits to become an artistic painter. This shocks his wife Bette and 17-year-old son Nicholas.
Simultaneously, on a west coast island, Isabel and Sean Gore are watching the sea when he inexpliably collapses. Suddenly uncommunicative, he is confined to a wheelchair. Soon after, Isabel is sent to be educated by nuns on the mainland according to island custom, as her parents Margaret and Muiris decide it is time.
Back in Dublin, as the now-painter William seeks inspiration, he heads to the western coast. Three months later, mother and son are suffering, wondering if or when he will return.
Meanwhile, an unhappy Isabel escapes from the school. Peader happens to be driving by, so helps her over the fence. Once back at the school, Isabel is told to stay kneeling in contrition, but soon tires.
When William finally returns to Dublin, Nicholas is relieved, hoping life will return to normal. However, when William visits Bette in the bedroom, which she has not left for days, he finds her passed away. Shortly after, he insists on returning to the West for another week, upsetting Nicholas.
The poet and schoolteacher Muiris, anguishing over Sean's prolonged incapacitation, is unable to write. At the school, Peader gets the nuns to release Isabel, supposedly for a funeral. They go off together to a pub, dance and kiss.
Nicholas secretly follows William on the bus west, even briefly coinciding with Isabel on it as she is off to spend a day at her parents. He follows him all the way to the sea. When Nicholas fears William will drown, he follows him in. William saves Nicholas, then contently declares that god still must want them around.
When Isabel arrives home, insisting the school gave her time off, Margaret is suspicicious. As the young woman happily wheels out Sean to tell him about Peader. Muiris is glad to see her, and tries to mollify her mother's concerns.
The Coughlans stay a while so William can paint. Later, before returning to London, all but the painting Nicholas was carrying is spoiled. Upon their return to Dublin, William promptly donates it to a poetry competition.
Isabel, whose lie to the nuns has been discovered, is turned out. So, she seeks Peader in his family's shop. Discovering he has been pining for her, he gratefully greets her. Meanwhile, in Dublin William dies in a house fire, while Nicholas is out completing his degree.
Three months pass. Margaret visits Isabel who, less enthusiastic about Peader now, is resigned to carry on. Margaret points out that lasting love must start very strong, and asks if she is pregnant. Later, Peader's mum warns Isabel that he never stays 'in love' for long. When she confronts Peader, he admits it, yet asks her to marry him.
Early on her wedding day, Isabel confides in Sean she is unsure about marrying Peader. On the edge of the sea, she asks for a sign to cancel. Meanwhile, Nicholas is en route from Dublin. He, after living with one of his father's former colleagues, who suggests a civil servant job, feels inspired to travel to the west island to see Mr. Gore, who won the painting with his love poem.
Arriving at the Gores' soon after the wedding, Nicholas finds Margaret and Sean at home. He stays with him while she fetches Muiris. Inexplicably, Sean begins to talk, asks for help standing up so the Gores find him chatting with Nicholas upon their return. Overjoyed, the reunited family invites Nicholas to stay. They prepare and have a meal together and dance.
A connection soon forms between Nicholas and Isabel. Margaret senses this, and is soon blocking love letters he tries to send her. She burns the first, throws the next into the sea and buries the third. As Nicholas writes multitudes more letters, Margaret brings Muiris' winning love poem, which prophesises four letters will unite two loves.
Going to the beach, Nicholas finds Isabel. As they embrace, the ghosts of his parents approach on one side, her family on the other. Now William's painting is shown of this very scene.
