Based on the best-selling autobiography by Irish expatriate Frank McCourt, Angelas Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in the slums of pre-war Limerick. The film opens with the family in Brooklyn, but following the death of one of Frankies siblings, they return home, only to find the situation there even worse. Prejudice against Frankies Northern Irish father makes his search for employment in the Republic difficult despite his having fought for the I.R.A., and when he does find money, he spends it on drink.