In 1973, Glasgow was gripped by a garbage truck strike: black garbage bags rot on every corner with rats scurrying everywhere. Twelve-year-old James Gillespie spends his days wandering around a social housing estate. One day, while playing by the canal, James jokingly pushes another boy into the water. The boy does not resurface. James runs away and slips into a dreamlike state. He tries to carry on with everyday life – befriends the naïve Kenny, searches for romance with Margaret Anne, and grows increasingly distant from his strict mother and alcoholic father.