Evelyn

Desmond Doyle is devastated on the day after Christmas 1953 when his wife abandons their family. His unemployment, and the fact that there's no woman in the house to look after the children--Evelyn, Dermot, and Maurice--make it clear to the authorities that his is an untenable situation, and the Irish courts put the Doyle children into Church-run orphanages. Although a sympathetic judge assures Desmond that he'll get his children back after he gets a job, he learns that there's another barrier. During that time, Evelyn suffers abuse. When Desmond goes to court to get his children back, a barmaid, her brother, her suitor, and a tippling footballer become his team.