1949: Maggie, an Irish country girl, secretly gives birth to a baby boy and is forced to give him away. 2010: Her journalist daughter discovers a global story on abuse in the Catholic Church is also her family's narrative, and sets out to put flesh on the bones of a past hidden by church, state, media " and shame. Philomena endured a lifetime of separation, Maggie can't face the truth of reunion. A true story of atonement for the sins of others, softened by Irish humour.