Corry is a brilliant statue maker, but his creations — exquisite wooden saints — remain hidden in a shed. His talents have not yet sprung him, his pregnant wife Nuala, and their several children out of poverty in their small Irish town. Corry and Nuala hatch a plan: he'll train to work as a headstone engraver, and that will put his carving talents on broader display. The only snag is that he won't get paid during the course of his year-long apprenticeship — and the family can't survive much longer with no income. The couple's solution is for Corry to seek more funds from his benefactor, Mrs. Falloway, who had invested in what she thought was his nascent statue-making career. This act of generosity was part of her crusade to modernize the country's religious art — a quest she has since given up by the time he returns for more money. Mrs. Falloway informs Corry that she, too, is now poor, and has nothing left to give. When Corry returns home empty handed, Nuala tries to sell the coming baby to her barren neighbor, who refuses the offer out of shame and fear of the town's judgment. Corry is forced to reject the headstone carving apprenticeship, and thus a future in which his talents are recognized. He instead takes a job at the lorry. Nuala is furious that her husband cannot fulfill his purpose in the world, but sitting with the statues of the saints calms her.