This is a heart-warming and inspiring tale of a boy growing up in a west of Ireland town as World War II raged in Europe. While his family falls on hard times, the little boy is swept up with more important events such as playing with the Temple Street Gang in the Pig Market, surviving Sligo's answer to Sing Sing prison (the local school), or being chased by a stag around the environs of Lough Gill. Interwoven into these colourful depictions of everyday life are details of historical events such as Blue Shirt riots, attacks by the Irregulars, arrests of prisoners of war and the impact of the "Emergency" on this Irish family.