Alive and Kicking

The three women learn they will be split up and sent to different cities. They flee Sunset Home and hide on a motorboat when policemen approach. They accidentally start the engine and sail out to sea before their fuel runs dry.

They are picked up by a Russian freighter, but none of the crew speaks English. They insist on being ashore at the earliest opportunity rather than returning to Murmansk.

The three women are finally landed on the Irish island of Inishfada after the freighter agrees to drop them off as soon as possible. They prepare to make a new life on a remote island.

They discover three run-down cottages on the island and are disappointed when MacDonagh arrives to say he has bought them for retirement, mentioning his heart trouble. The news signals the beginning of their connection with him and the island.

A few minutes after arriving, MacDonagh succumbs to heart trouble and falls off a cliff into the sea. The women quickly decide to pose as his nieces to stay on the island and avoid being ousted.

MacDonagh's new furniture is delivered, and the women are delighted by the fresh furnishings. The arrival of the furniture gives their pretend nieces scenario a sense of legitimacy and comfort.

A joke MacDonagh had told local children leads residents to believe he is married to all three women, prompting an outraged mob to drive the 'immoral interlopers' away. Dora defuses the tension by asking if they have come to see her 'uncle', which shifts the mood.

The women invite the locals in for tea, and the gathering is amplified by two cases of MacDonagh's 12-year-old whiskey. The party marks a turning point as the islanders warm to the trio's presence.

A finely knitted sweater worn by a party guest catches Dora's eye. The next day she purchases a similar one and sends it to her cousin in London, triggering an order for 300 more at £5 each.

Dora organizes the sweater venture, offering local women £4 10s for each finished sweater while keeping the remaining 10s for herself and her friends. The arrangement demonstrates their growing commercial savvy and influence on the island.

MacDonagh's solicitor arrives to demand to see his client, but the women refuse to disclose him. The solicitor heads for a policeman, prompting concern and a rapid search for MacDonagh.

It turns out MacDonagh is not dead at all; he was stranded on another uninhabited island. He is eventually located and brought back just in time to complicate the inquiry.

MacDonagh learns of the trio's ruse and pretends to be surprised when the policeman arrives. He reveals that he is native to the island and has returned home to help his people, expressing genuine pleasure that the women helped him.