Kathleen has always been dramatic. She suffers from the bizarre malady of experiencing stabbing pain in her feet. Only the touch of seawater can ease her pain, and just temporarily at that. Now Kathleen is a 25-year-old opera student and shows immense promise as a soprano. Her girlfriend Harry, a mezzo in the same program, worries endlessly about Kathleen's phantom pain and obsession with the sea. When Kathleen suffers yet another dangerous breakdown, Harry convinces Kathleen to visit her hometown in Ireland to learn more about her family history. There, they discover that the mystery --- and the tragedy --- of Kathleen’s family history is far older and stranger than they could have imagined.