The stage is set in 1970s Glasgow. On the brink of adolescence, John is a bright and sensitive boy, eager to learn and full of promises. But the cards are stacked against him. Most of the adults in his life fail him in one way or another. His father, drunken, violent bully and his teachers, punishing him for the sins of his older brothers. John takes to the savage life of the streets with a vengeance. It is not only a story of lost hope, it is a story of survival by any means necessary.