In the mid 1980s and early '90s, Belfast was a dangerous place, particularly for residents of the Falls Road and Shankill Road neighborhoods. Joseph McGuire, a Catholic, couldn't find work. Ashamed by his inability to provide for his family, he attacked a man who refused to interview him for a job simply because of his religion. Joseph paid for that moment of uncharacteristic impulsiveness for the rest of his pained life. His older son vowed to avenge his father's humiliation, while the distractions of adolescence sheltered his younger son from the political turbulence in Northern Ireland - until tragedy struck again.