The tale is about wandering on the open roads of Ireland. A young tinker couple, Breda Claffey and her husband Martin, travel from their native Kerry to the Antrim coast because they want to see 'the top of Ireland'. They are caught up in I.R.A. activity along the border before making a desperate race south again to The Honey Spike, the 'lucky' hospital. Their first child is about to arrive and this is where Breda insists it must be born. The story, rich in character and suspense, is one of the best examples of modern Irish fiction.