Brooklyn follows the coming of age story of Eilis Lacey, as she emigrates to the United States in the 1950s from Ireland to make a better life of herself. Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis as a mostly stoic and strong woman who slowly goes from a naive, small town girl working at a shop in Ireland in the start of the film. As she learns more about the U.S. and her new home in Brooklyn, she overcomes her fears and takes control of her life.

She starts off as a retailer at a large department store, then, with the aid of Father Flood (Harry Potter's Jim Broadbent) pursues a career in bookkeeping, one her older sister held in Ireland.

The story focuses on Eilis' struggle to leave her family behind in Ireland, and finding friends, and love, in Brooklyn, where she will eventually settle her roots and future. The one conflict comes when family tragedy hits Eilis, and she has no choice but to go back to Ireland.

Before she goes back to Ireland, she gets married to a local American man, Tony, but once she goes back to her home country, she keeps that a secret to everyone around here. Unfortunately it puts her in the sticky situation where everyone is trying to set her up for marriage... even though she's already married. She meets a nice, kind local Irish man Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson), whom falls for her immediately. Eilis at this point is struggling - should she remain with Farrell, whom she is falling for as well, or return back to her life and husband in Brooklyn? The conflict of the story surrounds this, and her eventually decision that is practically forced upon her.

Ronan shows off Eilis' turn from innocence to stoic strength and turmoil with ease and grace, and is the highlight of the film. The movie is further strengthened by strong performances from its supporting cast, including Broadbent, Gleeson, Julie Walters and Emory Cohen. Brooklyn hits theaters in the U.S. this November.