The New York Times article tells the story of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home through the experiences of local historian Catherine Corless and the families affected by the institution. Corless's research uncovered death records for 796 children who died at the home between 1925 and 1961 but found almost no official burial records. It also highlights the wider history of Ireland's mother and baby homes, where unmarried mothers and their children faced stigma, neglect, and lasting injustice.