In 1962, The Sisters of the Holy Redemption holds one of the Magdalen Laundries, the workhouses of “fallen” women (unwed mothers, prostitutes, etc.), in Dublin. Most of the girls sinned by being too pretty, being too independent, or tempting a man. Teagan Tiernan and Nora Craven are sent to the convent for “tempting” a priest and for kissing a boy. They are renamed, given uniforms, have their hair cropped, denied contact with the outside world, and set to work in the laundry. They befriend each other and the nuns’ favorite Magdalen, Lea, and they plot escape.