Jackie is a young boy who is due for his first confession before receiving his first Holy Communion. He lives with his mother, father, sister, and grandmother. The grandmother is an embarrassment to Jackie; she walks around barefoot and carries a jug of porter around with her most of the time. Jackie’s sister, Nora, is awfully rude to him, and gets a penny from the horrible old woman every week. Jackie feels guilty about hating both his sister and his grandmother, so he does not want to confess his sins. He is sure that they will send him straight to damnation.