上了年纪的波尔从监狱里出来,决定洗心革面,重新做人,但是他很快就被一个黑帮的头目缠上,因为波尔欠他的钱。波尔暂时躲到郊区的一户人家中。这家的母亲莫尼夫人是个盛气凌人的老太太,女儿艾丽丝在她面前只能低声下气。在这里,波尔把他的全部热情都投入到他制作的大型火车模型上,并且慢慢地把艾丽丝也吸引进他的幻想世界……A man released from jail, where he had served time for doctoring the books of a gangster, has to go into hiding from the gangster's men. He moves into a Dublin boarding house run by a woman and her timid daughter. The timid woman immediately takes a shine to the new boarder and to his train sets, which they each use as an escape from reality. However, her mother doesn't like their relationship and they both are chased by the gangsters.