Set in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising, a married woman in a small Irish village has an affair with a troubled British officer.
World War I seems far away from Ireland's Dingle peninsula when Rosy Ryan Shaughnessy (Sarah Miles) goes horseback riding on the beach with the young English officer. There was a magnetic attraction between them the day he was the only customer in her father's pub and Rosy was tending bar for the first time since her marriage to the village schoolmaster. Then one stormy night some Irish revolutionaries expecting a shipment of guns arrive at Ryan's pub. Is it Rosy who betrays them to the British? Will Shaugnessy take Father Collin's advice? Is the pivotal role that of the village idiot who is mute?—Dale O'Connor <[email protected]>
The film takes place in the isolated village of Killary on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland during World War I. The villagers are nationalist and exclusionary, taunting Michael (John Mills) (the mute village idiot) and British soldiers stationed at a nearby army base. They are resentful of Rosy Ryan (Sarah Miles), the spoilt daughter of the local publican Tom Ryan (Leo McKern), who himself is an informer for the British army hoping to keep the peace in the village. In public, Ryan pretends to be a staunch nationalist; in an early scene, he strongly supports the recently suppressed Easter Rising, referring to the rebels as "our boys".
Rosy is bored with her humdrum village life and fantasizes about the outside world much to the chagrin of the local priest, Father Hugh Collins (Trevor Howard), an old, sharp-witted and highly influential person who knows all that goes on in the village. Rosy is in love with the local schoolmaster, Charles Shaughnessy (Robert Mitchum), a widower older than herself. She imagines that Shaughnessy will be able to add excitement to her life because he is educated and listens to classical music. He tries to convince her they are not a good match and suggests she leave the village and see the world. The two ultimately marry, but Rosy quickly becomes discontented with her marriage. She is looking for passion beyond just love in her relationship.
Major Randolph Doryan (Christopher Jones) arrives to take command of the local army base. A veteran of World War I, he has been awarded a Victoria Cross, but has a crippled leg and suffers from shell shock. Rosy is instantly attracted to him. When Michael absent-mindedly bangs his foot on the pub bench, it causes Doryan to have a flashback to the trenches and collapse. When he recovers, he is comforted by Rosy. The two passionately kiss until they are interrupted by the arrival of Ryan and the townspeople. The two arrange to meet the next day horseriding and end up in the forest for a lengthy liaison.
Charles becomes suspicious of Rosy, but keeps his thoughts to himself. While on a trip to the beach with his students, he finds Rosy and Doryan's footprints with the telltale dragging of his injured leg in the sand and tracks them to a cave; later he finds a conch shell in Rosy's dresser, but refuses to confront her about it. However, Michael has also seen the two lovers, and while parading in an improvised British officer's uniform, he tips off the townspeople about the affair. The townspeople turn on Rosy, deriding her as a "British officer's whore".
One night, in the midst of a fierce storm, IRB leader Tim O'Leary (Barry Foster) who had killed a police constable earlier and a small band of comrades arrive in Ryan's pub and strong-arm Ryan into helping them recover a shipment of German arms from the beach. When they leave, Ryan tips off the British.
Soon the entire town arrives at the beach to help. However, O'Leary and his followers are stopped by Major Doryan and his men on the road and arrested. O'Leary is shot and wounded by Doryan while attempting to escape.
Charles tells Rosy that he is aware of her infidelity but hopes Rosy and Doryan will "burn it out". That night, Charles watches Rosy rise from bed to return to Doryan and Charles wanders off along the beach in his nightclothes until he is found the next day by Father Collins. Though Rosy declares the affair over, Charles decides to leave her. Then, however, a town mob arrives and accuses Rosy of having informed the British of the arms shipment and strip her and shear off her hair. Ryan, deeply ashamed, is unable to confess and save his daughter from the punishment which is due to him.
Meanwhile, Doryan is wandering on the beach and comes across Michael. Michael leads him to a cache of arms including dynamite that was not recovered by the army. After Michael runs off, Doryan commits suicide by detonating the explosives.
The next day, Rosy and Charles leave for Dublin, enduring the taunts of the villagers as they go. Ryan wishes his daughter well and acknowledges that Charles is a better man than he originally thought to wed his daughter, his princess. As Charles gets on the small bus, Father Collins advises him that his parting gift is the doubt that Charles and Rosy should end the marriage.
