In the beginning of the story, MacDonald introduces himself as the narrator and begins to recount tales of his time in Southie, reminiscing on the difficult life he used to have before he was able to make a life for himself outside of South Boston—not that he doesn't love Southie, because he obviously still thinks very fondly of his childhood. He makes mention of a serious criminal kingpin that was well known in the neighborhood named Whitey Bulger. He is back home for Souls' Night, a Southie holiday to mourn the loss of loved ones. MacDonald is the seventh child of nine, and his mother is Helen, whom he calls Ma.
We learn that MacDonald's father is actually only the father of the first six kids, all of his older siblings, and he doesn't know who his father is. That's not the only difficulty in the family, either. One brother died before MacDonald was born, and another was later diagnosed with schizophrenia after a life full of mental health issues. Their house is described to have a serious roach infestation.
MacDonald then describes that it was like to move to a neighborhood with gang activity, and he describes the boys' brutal treatment by the gangs hoping to recruit them, and he describes their notable pride in the neighborhoods they were from. Irish Catholics in New England are also a historically oppressed class, and he describes some of the racism that the community suffered. Before too long, the boys in the MacDonald family adjust to their environment, and they become rough.
The racism in Southie didn't stop with the bias against Irish people. In fact, one of the main plot events is that the city is bringing black students on buses to historically white schools, apparently in an attempt to desegregate, but instead the city's decision causes full blown riots. MacDonald describes the sights of seeing people beaten to death. The city is torn by race, and the Irish and Black students are especially violent.
When Whitey moves his drug trade into the neighborhood, MacDonald's sister Kathy becomes addicted to Angel Dust. This is not the only tragedy in the family; Davey is committed to a mental institution for shock therapy, Kevin gets caught selling narcotics, but Frank takes the fall, and Kevin joins the Marines in a desperate attempt to get out of the neighborhood. Then, worst of all, Davey kills himself by jumping from the roof. As if things couldn't get worst, Ma then takes a stray bullet, but she recovers from the wound. Then, as if Davey's fall wasn't already bad enough, Kathy herself falls from a roof, but she was high, so it really could have been an accident, but she's not able to tell because she spends the next few months in a coma fighting for her life.
Frankie's time in jail leads to his introduction to the criminal element, and soon he finds himself involved in organized crime before meeting his end at the hands of the police during an attempt to rob a bank. Kevin himself ends up back home and back in Whitey's gang. In and out prison, Kevin falls into a deep depression and attempts his own suicide out of despair. Although the attempt fails, he succeeds in committing suicide while institutionalized at a mental institution.
Then trouble finds his young sibling, Steven. Steven is being framed for shooting someone who actually shot their self. After a grueling case, Steven is acquitted, and Michael leaves Southie. Now a successful activist, Michael Patrick MacDonald writes finally about his time for Souls' Night, mourning the deaths of his four brothers.
