Baltimore

Rose Dugdale, an English heiress, grows uncomfortable with privilege and begins radical politics on campus. She forms a student club to push for social and British-Ireland policy changes. A news footage of British soldiers attacking a peaceful protest hardens her resolve toward 'action' as the only path to change.

After graduation she abandons a planned government career, sells her expensive home, and gives all her money to the poor. She renounces her family name and begins a new life away from aristocratic ties. Her transformation marks a permanent shift toward anti-British activism.

She relocates to Northern Ireland and becomes a pro-Irish activist. In this new environment she finds like-minded comrades and channels her frustrations into political action. Her commitment deepens as she meets members of the IRA.

Dugdale is introduced to the Provisional IRA and is invited to join their ranks. She undergoes extensive training in weapons, explosives, and spycraft, building the skills that will underpin later operations. Her quick grasp of the craft earns her a leadership role.

After proving herself, she participates in an attack on a police station. The bombing demonstrates her commitment and marks her rise within the organization. The operation also signals the shift from symbolic acts to high-risk, real-world actions.

Dugdale's performance earns her a quick ascent to a leadership position. She becomes a prominent figure within the group and is trusted with planning and directing operations. Her ascent underscores the fervor and intensity of the period.

In April 1974, Dugdale plans a raid on Russborough House, home of Sir Alfred Beit. She conceals her hair under a red wig and adopts a French accent to disguise her identity. The operation is aimed at seizing valuable assets and sending a message to authorities.

Dugdale and her team break in, restrain Sir Beit and his wife, and subject them to verbal and physical abuse. The action is shocking in its audacity and the level of intrusion on a private home. The assault reveals the single-mindedness of her mission.

Her real aim is the Beit art collection, including a rare Vermeer. The team carefully extracts the paintings and moves them to a rural property under Dugdale's alias. The plan hinges on a ransom and political demands to secure prisoners' release.

Dugdale contacts authorities using her French accent and demands the release of IRA prisoners along with a ransom for the paintings' return. She threatens destruction if her demands are not met. The-scale threats escalate the police manhunt.

A wide police hunt tracks the paintings and eventually leads to a raid on the rural property. The lease Dugdale signed is uncovered, tying the operation to her. The investigation tightens and closes in on her team.

Dugdale is arrested and convicted for both the art theft and her earlier role in the station bombing. The legal process culminates in a sentencing that marks the end of her public anti-authority activities. She defies the court by raising a fist as she is led away.

In sentencing, Dugdale defiantly raises a fist to the court, a symbolic gesture of resistance. The moment cements her as a controversial figure in the period's struggle. Her actions remain a stark example of militant activism crossing into crime.