 The story sets in Northern Ireland during the 1950s. Father McAteer (Tom Wilkinson) is a kind person with all the altar boys. One of them, is a nice and dreamer boy, who lives with his family in a small village. Not all the villagers like Father McAteer, because he s British and his sermons are all oriented to politics. However, the boy got fascinated with the legend of Barrabas, also known as "the good thief", the man who saved of being crucified with Jesus. The kid also likes to talk with the Virgin Mary, and ask for miracles. However, one day the boy finds a suspicious man (Gabriel Byrne) hiding at the family warehouse. He will believe that the man is Barrabas, calling him the good thief. In fact, the man is an IRA s member, running away from the police. But he will tell the kid that he s Barrabas and will ask him not to tell anyone about him. Excited, the kid will keep talking to the Virgin Mary at the church, but Father McAteer will hear everything about Barrabas, believing that the whole matter is a miraculous vision. After make a research and ask the boy if he actually has seen Barrabas and is able to talk with the Virgin Mary, Father McAteer will address to the authorities and the archbishop, to promote the boy for a canonization. Everything will be wrong for Father McAteer, who becomes obsessed with the boy and the so called miracles, putting in danger his future and his religious career.