The opening credits announce the film as “a comedy,” then quietly shift to “a tragedy,” while the orchestra plays Molly Malone and shamrocks swirl across the screen, laying out a distinctly Irish mood. In Dublin’s leafy heart, the story follows Gulliver Shields, a former Revenue Commissioner who has walked away from his job after a modest pension. He fills his days by a single, patient routine: every day but Sunday he sits on a park bench in St Stephen’s Green, hoping to meet a fallen wealthy elder who would reward him with enough money to finance a one‑way trip to Rarotonga, where he imagines spending his remaining days in the South Seas.
On a Sunday he dreams aloud of island life and encounters an attractive Anglo‑Irish woman named Jennifer. The next week, a refined Scottish gentleman sits beside him for a few minutes before moving on to a quiet bar. Gulliver shifts to another bar, then notes a newspaper article about a car crash on Grafton Street and decides that location would be ideal for his scheme. He waits for an accident, but when two women collide he declines to act as a witness, choosing instead to observe and wait. A week passes, and Gulliver’s presence on the bank steps earns him taunts from the crowd; to blunt the harassment, he acquires a small dog from a busker, a small act that helps him blend in.
The next fortunate (or opportunistic) accident involves an old lady being struck while crossing the street. Gulliver rushes to help her, hoping for a reward, but is handed only a luncheon voucher. Jennifer passes by, somewhat tipsy, and asks him to call a taxi, which leads them to her palatial home. Over dinner Gulliver finally lays out his plan: he would be rescued and rewarded enough to fund a life in the South Seas. She seems intrigued by him, yet he abruptly departs, leaving her with a tangled mix of interest and doubt.
Back on Grafton Street, another accident—a Rolls‑Royce rams a boy on a bicycle—unfolds. The man behind the wheel claims the greater injury, and Gulliver and Jennifer drift into a bar together, where they discover parallel dreams: Gulliver imagines Rarotonga while the other hopes for Tahiti. They later meet again in a lawyer’s office, where a more concrete plan to reach the South Seas begins to form—though not without misgivings. On the way to the boat, their car crashes once more on Grafton Street, and Gulliver breaks his arm. Jennifer arrives just in time, and her friend Yellow takes Gulliver’s place on the voyage. The film follows with Gulliver remaining by Jennifer’s side, and ultimately marrying her, after which he returns to his job.
