In which, on a sombre and rain-drenched May night in 1767, the reverend Dr. Walsingham prepares for a mysterious and weighty duty, his household quietly observing his solemn departure into the darkness that envelops Chapelizod. The scene unfolds with melancholy reflections and a gathering gloom, as parishioners in the dim church encounters whispers of old memories and the lingering presence of past sorrows that haunt the shadows.