The Protestants and Catholics of West Belfast are adversaries in an intractable conflict that has turned Northern Ireland into a war zone for generations. But it is now 1994 and Northern Ireland is tentatively enjoying a truce, so there is a glimmer of hope for the first time in decades. Hazel Stokes, the teenage daughter of a Protestant farmer belonging to the rigid Plymouth Brethren sect, knows little about the conflict that has torn her country apart. And for Malachy McAliskey, a Catholic who lives with his older brother and single mother in Belfast, his biggest struggle is with the turmoil of youth. So when Hazel and Malachy first set eyes on each other, they do not see the chaos and despair that has wracked their homeland for decades. They do not see the strong familial ties that dictate they should be enemies -- all they see is each other, and they are swept away by the passion of first love, pure and indescribable.