Desmond Doyle is devastated when his wife abandons their family on the day after Christmas. His unemployment, and the fact that there is no woman in the house to care for the children—Evelyn, Dermot and Maurice—make it clear to the authorities this is an untenable situation. The Catholic Church and the Irish courts decide to put the Doyle children into Church-run orphanages.
Pierce Brosnan
as Desmond Doyle
Aidan Quinn
as Nick Barron
Julianna Margulies
as Bernadette Beattie
Stephen Rea
as Michael Beattie
John Lynch
as Senior Counsel Mr. Wolfe
Sophie Vavasseur
as Evelyn Doyle
Alan Bates
as Thomas Connolly
Niall Beagan
as Dermot Doyle
Hugh McDonagh
as Maurice Doyle
Mairead Devlin
as Charlotte Doyle
Frank Kelly
as Henry Doyle
Clare Mullen
as Mrs. Daisley
