Built in 1896 as an overflow facility for the Richmond Asylum in Dublin City Centre, St.Ita's Hospital has dominated the peninsula at Portrane, Co Dublin since the late 19th Century. As the largest public contract ever undertaken in Ireland up to 1890, St Ita's was a notable feat of both 19th century civil and social engineering in Ireland. In its heyday the asylum operated effectively at the centre of a self-sufficient mini-town and was looked upon as a 'model' for the care of the mentally ill. Ironically St. Itas has, in a contemporary sense, become almost a by-word for all that is wrong with the psychiatric system in Ireland. This documentary focuses on the sense of abandonment that exists in the hospital as it stands today – between the presence, character and history of the past and the inevitability of the future. It has been the subject of much public debate in the past decade or more but many questions as to the future of St. Ita's still remain unanswered. Yet, there are plans to rebuild and reuse the facilities for a new mental hospital in the near future.