A stirring story set against the Easter Rising of 1916...When John Joe's mother falls ill and he is sent away to St Enda's School in Dublin, he is relieved to escape from his bullying father.

In the school he falls under the spell of Patrick Pearse, the charismatic headmaster, who teaches him about Irish nationalism and the injustice of British rule in Ireland.

John Joe is soon caught up in the dramatic chain of events leading to the Easter Rebellion and the smoking ruins of the GPO, changing his life forever.