A young man comes of age in late 19th century Ireland- Growing up in a small village in rural Ireland, Matts otherwise happy childhood is blighted only by the knowledge that his much-loved Uncle Patsy and Aunt Nora are not his real family. At university in Dublin he forms new and life-changing friendships, but he still longs to know the truth about his parentage, and it is this search for identity and for love which will prove the driving force in his life.