Little Rose McGinley is just seven years old when her family is harshly evicted from their home in Donegal, victims of the Clearances of 1861. It is the first step in what will be a long and eventful journey for Rose, one that will take her from Donegal to Kerry, and back again to the North, with her husband and four children. But the feisty little girl blossoms into a woman of extraordinary character, who confronts hardship and tragedy - as well as great happiness - with steadfast courage and the determination to keep her family together, against all the odds.