PROLOGUE
From out of Ireland’s mythic past comes Finn McCool, the leader of the Fianna. His story unfolds bringing forth Diarmuid and Grania, his fellow players in legend.

AT THE COURT OF FINN McCOOL
We join the court of Finn and meet his household, including Finn’s great friend and colleague, Diarmuid, who is revered as the finest of the Fianna.  There is an air of joyful anticipation among the court as Grania, Finn’s betrothed, is soon to make her appearance.

GRANIA’S ARRIVAL
Grania enters Finn’s court for the first time and meet her future husband. Her solo dance for Finn reflects her delight with her betrothed and her respect and admiration for him which is mirrored by his evident affection for her.

THE TRAINING
In another part of Finn’s fortress home Diarmuid puts the Fianna through its paces in a series of training exercises. With their commander, Finn, in attendance they display the precision of their skills and Diarmuid shows why he is regarded as being matchless amongst his peers.

THE GIFT OF THE BODYGUARDS
As a visible token of his love and esteem for Grania, Finn presents her with his warrior son, Oisin, and three other members of his elite military force who are to form her personal retinue of bodyguards.

THE FEMALE STATE OF MIND
Led by Grania’s friend and confidante, Deirdru, the women of the court take part in a light-hearted dance which expresses their delight at Grania’s introduction to the court. Grania acknowledges the compliment by briefly joining their dance under Finn’s watchful and admiring gaze.

THE HOOLEY
The off-duty Fianna members join their womenfolk for a lively and up-beat dance session on the eve of wedding celebrations that gather momentum with the approach of nightfall.

DIARMUID’S REFLECTION
An encounter with a fiddle player beguiles Diarmuid into a more relaxed and mellow mood, encouraging him into dropping his guard and showing the playful and fun-loving side of his character.

MEETING IN A LATE-NIGHT BAR
The arrival of more musicians and party-goers draws Diarmuid into a late-night bar where amidst an ever more boisterous and rowdy session of music and dance he is unexpectedly confronted by another man’s bride-to-be.

ON DANGEROUS GROUND
Oblivious to their surroundings and their companions, Diarmuid’s and Grania’s smouldering attraction for one another catches fire in a sexy and seductive dance.  As their passion threatens to flare over they are drawn back into the company of their fellow revelers, but with their hearts still racing and with eyes only for each other.

AT THE WEDDING OF FINN AND GRANIA
Finn’s joy as he takes Grania’s hand in marriage is tempered by the dread expressed in his later doubts and misgivings; 
‘Yet though she placed her hand in mine she would not share my glance
And a fear came over me
For her soul seemed to dance with another’.
However, the wedding festivities and dancing continue unabated, but with Diarmuid an increasingly central and provocative figure to whom Grania is constantly drawn.

GRANIA’S BETRAYAL
With all thoughts of her new husband now obliterated by her wanton passion for Diarmuid, Grania conspires to free herself from her marital vows by enlisting Deirdru and the women of the court to ply Finn and the Fianna with adulterated wine.  As Finn and his men sink into comatose sleep, Grania and Diarmuid steal away into the night.

THE LOVERS IN FLIGHT
The lovers have fled deep into the forest and in this secure retreat share some tender moments of a romantic idyll. But both Diarmuid and Grania know that the tranquility of their newfound sanctuary is a temporary lull before the terror of the pursuit that must surely come.

THE FIANNA AWAKEN
Arising slowly from long hours of drugged slumber, the Fianna members struggle to shake off their stupor and their stiffness, but succeed in regaining their composure and their military bearing before throwing off the ties that bind them.

FINN’S CRY FOR WAR
Enraged by Grania’s betrayal and his womenfolk’s part in the flown lovers’ act of treachery, Finn calls the Fianna to arms to answer his call for vengeance and, as punishment, compels the women of the court to make ready to join their men in the hunt for the fugitive couple.

THE PURSUIT AND A DEATH
Driven on by the vengeful Finn, the Fianna remorselessly hunts down the outlawed lovers and at the height of the pursuit Diarmuid and Grania become separated.  One by one Diarmuid’s every escape route is sealed off until Finn and the pursuers close in on their former comrade with fatal consequences.

GRANIA’S LAMENT
The Fianna and the women of the court melt away as Grania cradles the body of her one true love.  Turning to Finn for consolation she finds only rejection.  Utterly alone with her grief she dances herself into a state of inconsolable surrender.

EPILOGUE
As the dance returns Diarmuid and Grania to their rightful place in legend, Finn concludes our story with words that are full of insight, but also of regret:
‘Only the past I hold, for the heart I can’t possess
And the heart is every moment our destiny and our time
Till the rivers run backward and the moon no longer turns the tide
So hear me as I tell my truth
All is for love, and all is forever.’