An Irish Musical. The story is inspired by the Irish folksong "The Fields of Athenry." The story is set in the village of Corryann on Ireland's Atlantic shore.

Barbary pirates are active off the North African coast. USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides' has been built to deal with them. Napolean Bonaparte is in the ascendency, gathering an army to march on Moscow. All these events affect the lives of the villagers of Corryann who suffer from the tithes imposed by thise claiming to represent God.