The film opens with prison guard Raymond Lohan getting ready for his workday; he methodically checks under his car for any bombs, dons his uniform in the locker room, and chooses to ignore the socializing of his coworkers. Meanwhile, a new IRA prisoner, Davey, arrives at the prison. His adamant refusal to wear the prison-issued uniform leads to him being labeled as "non-cooperative." Consequently, he is sent to his cell with nothing but a blanket to keep warm, where he meets his new roommate, Gerry, who has transformed their cell into a grotesque display, smearing it with feces from floor to ceiling. The audience witnesses the defiance that both men embody against the unforgiving prison regime as they start to bond in their bleak surroundings.
On visiting day, Gerry's girlfriend pulls off a daring act by smuggling in a small radio, discreetly esconding it within her body. The narrative takes a darker turn when the prison officers, in an alarming show of force, brutally remove the inmates from their cells, mercilessly beating them before restraining them to shave off their long hair and beards—symbols of their protest. During this chaotic moment, Bobby Sands, another prominent inmate, defiantly spits in Lohan's face. In retaliation, Lohan punches Sands, only to miss and strike the wall, injuring his hand in the process. He proceeds to drag Sands away after the humiliating shaving, washing his bloodied hands afterward, echoing the violent atmosphere from the film's beginning.
As the men are forced into second-hand civilian clothing, the laughter of guards echoes in the background at the sight. In a fit of outrage, Sands tears apart his clothes, prompting others to follow suit in a collective act of rebellion. Tension escalates further with the arrival of riot police; a fearful display unfolds as the officers line up, beating their batons against shields while screaming threats to the prisoners being yanked from their cells. The brutality intensifies as inmates are subjected to an alarming routine of searches that involve invasive probing, while the violence continues unabated on both sides of the prison.
In a poignant contrast, Lohan visits his elderly mother in a nursing home. Tragedy strikes when he is shot in the back of the head by an unidentified IRA assassin, collapsing onto his mother's lap in a heartbreaking moment. The narrative then shifts to focus primarily on Sands, a man fiercely dedicated to his cause, convinced of the nobility in suffering for political recognition as a prisoner. One standout scene occurs as Sands engages in a moral debate about the hunger strike with Father Dominic Moran. In an emotional exchange, Sands recounts a moment from his past in Donegal, where he made a painful decision to drown an injured foal, believing it to be an act of mercy despite the consequences. He parallels this experience to his impending hunger strike, fully aware of the physical toll it would take on him.
As the film progresses, viewers see Sands nearing the end of his endurance, weakened by his months-long hunger strike, displaying severe physical deterioration: sores, kidney failure, low blood pressure, and debilitating stomach ulcers have ravaged his body. One of his final encounters features a new guard who replaces Lohan, casually showing Sands his tattooed knuckles that read "UDA." With what little strength remains, Sands struggles to rise and defiantly stare at the guard, refusing assistance. Yet, this small act exhausts his frail body, leading to his collapse. In his last moments, Sands is surrounded by his parents as he passes away, 66 days into the hunger strike, with his mother holding his hand in a heart-wrenching farewell.
