His mother Bernadette (Parillaud) was a French woman who, after the death of her friends and family in World War II, hid herself aboard an Allied war ship heading to Ireland, where she exchanged sexual favors for silence among the soldiers who found her on board.

A nice customs agent, Jack Kelly (Byrne), allowed Bernadette to enter Ireland illegally, and they soon became a couple, even though she was already pregnant from one of the soldiers from the ship.

An older Bernadette eventually committed suicide, and Frank then used his life as source material for his writing.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times thought the film was flawed but decent and did not think highly of Parillaud's acting: Sincere, serious and more than a little strange...

One of its disappointments is the listless performance by Anne Parillaud, the fiery star of La Femme Nikita, who moves distractedly through her role.