Four Letters of Love

In 1971, William Coughlan, a Dublin civil servant, is struck by a sunbeam on his desk blotter and suddenly quits to become a painter. The decision shocks his wife Bette and their 17-year-old son Nicholas. He heads west in search of artistic inspiration.

Isabel Gore and her family live on a west coast island where her father collapses inexplicably, withdraws, and is confined to a wheelchair. In response, Isabel is sent to the mainland to be educated by the Mother Superior while her parents decide it is time for a change. The separation marks the start of a long disruption in her life.

Back on the western coast, William struggles to find inspiration for his painting. Three months pass, and his absence weighs on his wife and son who wonder if he will ever return. The family endures the separation while William chases a creative muse.

Isabel escapes from the island school and, by chance, Peader O Luing is driving by and helps her over the fence. After her escape, the nuns demand she kneel in contrition, but she grows tired of the ritual. The escape plants a seed of defiance.

When William returns to Dublin, his son Nicholas is relieved to see him, but he discovers his mother Bette is dead. The shock drives him further toward the West, where he insists on staying an extra week to regain his footing. The family must grieve while he searches for something to hold onto.

Muiris Gore laments Sean's prolonged incapacitation and his own creative block. Peader persuades the nuns to release Isabel for a funeral, and they head to a pub where they dance and share a kiss. The moment deepens Isabel's longing and foreshadows future complications.

Nicholas secretly boards the bus west to seek his father and briefly crosses paths with Isabel. On the sea, William saves Nicholas from drowning and muses that God still wants them around. The experience forges a fragile bond between the siblings.

Isabel returns home claiming time off from the school, but Margaret Gore grows suspicious of her daughter's stories. Muiris tries to calm the tensions as the family watches the evolving situation. The island community is unsettled by the secrets surrounding Isabel.

The Coughlans stay on long enough for William to paint, but upon their departure back to Dublin, all but the painting Nicholas carried is spoiled. William donates the surviving piece to a Dublin poetry competition, turning the work into a shared symbol of longing. The trip marks a shifting of ties between art and family.

Isabel's deception to the nuns is discovered and she is turned out of the school. She later seeks out Peader in his family's shop, where he greets her warmly despite his own doubts. Their renewed closeness complicates her life further.

Back in Dublin, William dies in a house fire while Nicholas completes his degree. The family endures a crushing loss as William's art lives on in the painting offered to the competition. The tragedy deepens the sense of unfinished business between father and son.

Three months pass, and Margaret visits Isabel to discuss the wedding. Isabel suspects she might be pregnant and questions Peader about his pattern of rarely staying in love. Peader's mother cautions that he rarely stays in love for long. The wedding plans press forward despite the uncertainties.

On Isabel's wedding day, she confides in Sean that she is unsure about Peader. Nicholas travels west to see Mr Gore, hoping for guidance and a sign. The trip introduces a potential for a new connection between Nicholas and Isabel.

Nicholas arrives at the Gores' home; the family gathers, and Sean speaks as they share a meal and dance. A budding connection forms between Nicholas and Isabel, but Margaret tries to block their letters. In the final beach scene, the ghosts of their families appear as William's painting depicts the moment.