Growing up poor in a small Irish seaside town, young Clare O'Brien dreams of a better life. She devotes herself to her studies, encouraged by her teacher, who sees echoes of herself in Clare. Meanwhile, David Power hails from a privileged family and plans to follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor.

The summer season at Castlebay is alive with excitement and romance. Heartbreaker Gerry Doyle is up for a challenge and sets his sights on Clare, but she is still focused on her schoolwork-and on a growing interest in David. Her hard work and ambition is rewarded when she wins a scholarship to a university in Dublin.

At university, Clare befriends fellow student David Power. Their friendship springs into a fiery romance, which leads to Clare getting pregnant.

David and Clare move back to Castlebay, but without the degree and career that she wanted, Clare feels trapped and unable to deal with the baby