Theresa Brady wants to be 'bad' -- not an easy task for a Catholic girl in Ireland in the early 1950's. Theresa's quest for self-expression has repercussions among the inhabitants of the village of Tullybra. Richard Beck wants to paint Theresa; Fergal, the tinker's son, wants to make love to her; whereas Father Corke merely wants to protect her. But it is Jack's attitude towards her that Theresa is most interested in, and it will be years before Theresa can even begin to come to terms with her own passionate nature, and resolve the emotional torment dominating her early adult year.