The film stars Peter Mullan as Joe Kavanagh, an unemployed recovering alcoholic in Glasgow, Scotland, who meets and falls in love with a health visitor, played by Louise Goodall.

The movie was mainly filmed in the council estates of Glasgow and filling small roles with local residents, many of whom had drug and criminal pasts.

The film begins with Joe Kavanagh at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, relaying an experience from his past.

Joe is called before social services to explain his alleged breaking of welfare policy, and the worker reveals that Sarah wrote in and insisted that the work was done as a personal favor and not for money.

Sarah is apprehensive about going on a date with Joe based on his strange behavior, but her receptionist friend Maggie says she is overthinking things.

Joe is hesitant at first, but explains that he stopped drinking because he brutally beat a previous romantic partner while he was heavily intoxicated, and that he is deeply ashamed of himself.

At the health centre, Sabine causes a scene by refusing to put out her cigarette, and later captures Sarah's attention when she is found out for stealing a prescription pad.

At home, Liam confronts Sabine, who lied about where she has been, and accuses her of having sex with other men after finding condoms in her purse, as well as being on drugs.

He reluctantly helps her inject, and she reveals that Liam has been abducted by the thugs, who work for local drug dealer and crook McGowan, whom Joe knows from his youth.

Liam tells Joe that he stopped dealing heroin when he went to prison, but that Sabine took over and owes 1,500 pounds to McGowan because she uses the drugs rather than sell them.

Liam was not aware of the dealing until very recently, and tells Joe that McGowan's thugs have threatened to cripple him if he cannot pay the money back.

The next day, Joe unwittingly plays getaway driver for his football team, who rob a shipment of jerseys at a sporting goods store.