The film stars Daniel Huttlestone, Dougray Scott, Natascha McElhone, Nell Williams and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

He divides his time between looking after his little sister Alice and working at the piano shop owned by his father Nick (Dougray Scott).

On the train, Shay meets Vivian (Nell Williams), a punk girl listening to The Clash on her Walkman.

After returning home to Wanstead, Shay spends the night listening to the Clash's eponymous album, dying his hair from a light-brown mop-top to a black pompadour.

He also begins to wear clothes influenced by punk culture: black jeans, red button-down shirts, and a leather jacket.

Shay decides to look after the shop as well as drive his father's taxi to make extra money while Vivian looks after Alice.

As Alice rests, Shay discovers his mother's lifestyle as a singer, including sexual promiscuity and use of cocaine.

In an attempt to get help from Vivian, he discovers that she actually comes from an upper-class family, living a comfortable life in a posh neighborhood in London, leading Shay to feel betrayed.

Shay, along with his mother's lover Johnny (Tom Hughes), goes to a concert in Victoria Park sponsored by the Anti-Nazi League to see The Clash again.

Shay leaves home to spend the night at the shop, but discovers Vivian sitting on the sidewalk wanting to be first in line to see The Clash play.

In July 2013, it was announced Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Liv Tyler, and Daniel Huttlestone had been cast in the film, with Derrick Borte directing from a screenplay by Kristen Sheridan, Sonya Gildea, and Matthew Brown.