It was turn-of-the-century Ireland when Sheila O'Reilly, the fiery, red-headed beauty fell for handsome Ian McManus. She never imagined that their life together would bring them far across the ocean to the new world, but shortly after Sheila and Ian were wed, they booked passage for America.

As poor Irish immigrants living in a Lower East Side tenement, Sheila found employment as the upstairs maid at the stately home of Thomas and Evelyn Burrows. Through a tender twist of fate, her relationship with Mr. Burrows would change her childrens' lives and their future, forever.

The legacy of love and tragedy would be woven throughout their lives and the generations of McManuses to come; from Sheila to her daughter, Nora, to Nora's son Aidan and on past Aidan to his granddaughter, Nora Maria. It is at Aidan's funeral that we are introduced to his granddaughter and are taken back through the years to the inspiring and heartwarming, yet often tragic stories that encompassed The World of Aidan McManus.