It is Ireland in the early 1950s, and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce. When her sister arranges for her to emigrate to New York, Eilis knows she must go, leaving behind her family and her home for the first time. Arriving in a crowded lodging house in Brooklyn, Eilis is reminded of what she has sacrificed. She is far from home and homesick. Just as she takes tentative steps towards friendship, and perhaps something more, Eilis receives news that sends her back to Ireland. There, she will be confronted by a terrible dilemma—a devastating choice between duty and one great love.