: The story begins in 1915 and spans half a century. The plot focuses on the life of the Cleary family, who has traveled from the New Zealand poor to the managers of one of the largest Australian estates of Droheda.
Part 1. 1915–1917 Maggie
The birthday of the youngest daughter, Maggie, who turns four years old. The life of a large family, the hard daily work of the mother of the family, Fiona, the difficulties of teaching children in a Catholic school under the command of severe nuns, the dissatisfaction of Frank's eldest son with poverty and the monotony of life are described.
One day, a letter comes to his father, Padrick Cleary (Paddy), from his sister Mary Carson, the wealthy owner of Drohead's vast Australian estate. She invites him to the post of senior shepherd, and the whole family moves from New Zealand to Australia.
Part 2. 1918-1928 Ralph
In Australia, the Cleary family is met by a young parish priest, Ralph de Brikassar. Ten-year-old Maggie, the only daughter in the family, attracts his attention with her beauty and shyness. Being older, Maggie falls in love with him, but they are not destined to be together, because Ralph, like any Catholic priest, made a vow of chastity (celibacy). However, they spend a lot of time together, ride, talk.
Mary Carson, the widow of the "steel king" Michael Carson, is unrequitedly in love with Ralph and watches his relationship with Maggie with ill-concealed hatred. Feeling that Ralph is close to giving up his dignity for the sake of the grown-up Maggie, Mary sets a trap for Ralph at the cost of her life: after the death of Mary Carson, her huge inheritance passes to the church, provided that the latter will appreciate her humble servant Ralph de Brikassar. He becomes the sole steward of Carson’s estate, and the Cleary family gets the right to live in Drohead as stewards.
Now that the opportunity for a church career is opening up to Ralph again, he refuses to connect his life with Maggie and leaves Droheda. Maggie misses him. Ralph also thinks of her, but overcomes the urge to return to Drohead.
Part 3. 1929–1932 Paddy
During a huge fire, Maggie Paddy's father and brother Stuart die. By pure chance, on the day when their bodies are transported to the estate, Ralph arrives in Droheda. Maggie, who had forgotten her homesickness for a while, manages to get a kiss from him, but immediately after the funeral, Ralph leaves again. Maggie gives him a rose - the only one that survived the fire, and Ralph hides it in his pocket breviary.
Part 4. 1933–1938 Luke
Maggie continues to yearn for Ralph. Meanwhile, a new worker appears on the estate, Luke O’Neill, who begins to care for Maggie. Outwardly, he looks like Ralph, and Maggie first accepts his invitation to dance, and then marries him.
After the wedding, it turns out that Luke found a job as a reed cutter, and Maggie placed a maid in the house of a married couple. Maggie dreams of a child and her home, but Luke prefers to work and save money, promising her a full family life in a couple of years. They have not seen each other for months, but Maggie, starting to cunning, gives birth to a daughter from him Justin.
After a difficult birth, Maggie is sick for a long time, and the owners of the house where she serves as a maid give her a trip to Matlock Island. After her departure, Luke arrives, and the hostess offers to visit Maggie, but Luke refuses and leaves. After that, Ralph arrives, and he is also advised to go to Maggie, posing as Luke. Ralph hesitates, but goes to Maggie.
Unable to resist the craving for each other, they spend several days as a husband and wife, after which Ralph returns to Rome to continue his career and become a cardinal. Maggie leaves Luke and returns to Drohead, carrying Ralph's baby under his heart.
Part 5. 1938–1953 Fia
Meanwhile, the Second World War begins in Europe. Maggie's twin brothers go to the front. Ralph, already a cardinal, hardly put up with the flexibility of the Vatican in relation to the Mussolini regime. In Drohead, Maggie gives birth to a son Dan, a copy of Ralph, but no one doubts that his father is Luke, since the men are very similar. Guess only Maggie's mother, Fiona (Fia).
In a conversation with Maggie, it turns out that in her youth, Fiona was also passionately in love with one influential person who could not marry her. She gave birth to a son from him, Frank, and her father gave Padrick Cleary money to marry her.Both Fiona and Maggie loved a man who could not reciprocate: the beloved Fiona took care of his career, Ralph devoted to the church. Maggie laughs and says that she did smarter and made sure that Dan had a name, and no one doubted his legal origin.
Ralph comes to Drohead, meets Dan, but does not know that this is his son. Maggie doesn't tell him anything.
Part 6. 1954–1965 Dan
Maggie's children, having matured, choose their profession. Justin is about to become an actress and is leaving for London. Dan wants to be a priest. Maggie is furious: she hoped Dan would have children, and so she would “steal” Ralph from the church. But Dan stands firm, and she sends him to Rome, to Ralph.
Dan is in seminary and ordination. After the ceremony, he leaves for Crete to relax and drowns, saving two women. Maggie comes to Ralph to ask for help in negotiations with the Greek authorities and reveals to him that Dan is his son. Ralph helps her transport Dan to Drohead, performs the last rite on him and dies after the funeral, admitting to himself that he sacrificed too much for his ambitions.
Part 7. 1965-1969 years. Justin
After the death of Dan, Justin finds no place for himself and seeks reassurance in work. She is either trying to return to Drohead, now she is trying to establish relations with her friend - the German Lyon Hartheim. Lyon loves Justin and wants to marry her, but she is afraid to become attached to him and become vulnerable to pain and worries. In the end, she marries him. Maggie in Drohead receives a telegram from her informing of her marriage.
The estate has no future - her brothers are not married and childless, Dan is dead, and Justin does not want to hear about the children.
