When Cal visits the local library, he notices Marcella Morton, a young widow who works there, and becomes fascinated by her. However, her presence makes him uncomfortable because he is hiding a terrible secret connected to her husband’s death. Cal is also involved with Crilly and other members of the IRA, although he is increasingly reluctant to participate in their violent activities. His conflict between his conscience and his loyalty to his former companions becomes clear. Meanwhile, threats against Catholics make him and Shamie feel unsafe in their own home.

At home, Shamie encourages Cal to earn money by selling firewood. Cal eventually sells wood at the Morton farm, despite the risks of being a Catholic working in a Protestant household. After being attacked by Protestant men on his way home, he suggests that he and Shamie should leave their neighbourhood, but his father refuses. Cal continues working at the farm, helping with the potato harvest, and is eventually offered regular employment. The job gives him a sense of purpose and brings him closer to Marcella, although his guilt remains unresolved.

When Cal returns home, he discovers that the house has been set on fire, presumably as a result of sectarian hostility. He and Shamie are forced to seek shelter with relatives, and Cal risks entering the burning house to retrieve a hidden gun. The chapter also reveals the truth about Cal’s past: he was the getaway driver during the IRA operation in which Crilly murdered Robert Morton, Marcella’s husband, a police officer. This revelation explains Cal’s intense guilt and his belief that he does not deserve Marcella’s love. The destruction of his home forces Cal to seek a new place to live, and he eventually finds shelter in an old cottage on the Morton farm.

One night, Cal watches Marcella through a window while she prepares to take a bath. He recognises that his behaviour is intrusive and feels ashamed, but his loneliness and obsession continue to influence his actions. When the police discover him in the cottage, Cal fears that his situation will be exposed. However, Marcella and her mother-in-law eventually allow him to stay, and Marcella helps him make the cottage more comfortable by providing furniture and clothing that belonged to her late husband.

As Cal and Marcella spend more time together, their relationship gradually develops. Marcella talks about her unhappiness on the farm, her responsibilities towards the family and the difficulties of living with her mother-in-law. Cal listens sympathetically and begins to feel that he might find acceptance and companionship with her. Nevertheless, his guilt remains a barrier to genuine happiness, and his new surroundings cannot erase the past.

While the Mortons are away, Cal enters Marcella’s private room and reads her diary, revealing how his desire to understand her has crossed the boundaries of respect and trust. Despite his growing relationship with her, he remains unable to confess the truth about Robert’s death. His feelings for Marcella are sincere, but they are complicated by selfishness, secrecy and his inability to forgive himself.

Meanwhile, Crilly and Skeffington remain involved in IRA violence. When Crilly plans a bombing at the library where Marcella works, Cal faces a decisive moral choice. He alerts the authorities, helping to prevent the attack and contributing to the arrest of Crilly and Skeffington. His decision represents a break with the organisation and an attempt to stop further violence. However, Cal cannot escape responsibility for his own earlier crime. On Christmas Eve, the police arrive to arrest him for his involvement in Robert Morton’s murder. Cal accepts his arrest with a sense of grim relief, believing that punishment may finally provide an outlet for his guilt. The novel ends without resolving whether he will ever find forgiveness or redemption.