In this opening episode of the television series Against the Wind, Mary Mulvane and her boyfriend Michael are harrassed by British soldiers while out walking. In response to the troops taking over a nearby farm as a supply store, Michael and his mates burn down the house. When the Mulvane family can't pay rent and church tax, the British troops take their cow away as payment. Mary and Michael are discovered as they attempt to retrieve the cow. Michael is shot dead, leaving Mary to stand trial.
