Father Barry's hopes of reappointment to Rome are dashed by tenacious Bishop Hegarty, whose sole objective is to control the 'hearts and minds' of the dwindling population by building modernist churches designed to dominate horizons around the country. Roped into raising funds for a venture he views with scepticism, cinephile Barry seizes the opportunity to open the Stella Cinema, which will hopefully have a civilizing influence while hastily generating necessary profits.