Set in the same new-town and Outer London hinterland as two of King's previous books, Human Punk (2000) and White Trash (2001), it forms a loose trilogy, The Satellite Cycle.

While the bulk of the book is set in the present day, it includes recurring sections from periods considered key to skinhead culture—1969 and the early 1980s—with events linking to the overriding story.

Terry is the main character, an original skinhead approaching his fiftieth birthday and mourning the loss of his wife, while attempting to keep the volatile Ray out of trouble and being concerned that his son, Laurel, might be a closet hippy.

Terry is also facing a life-or-death problem but finds strength in his long-term friendships, the responsibilities of running a minicab firm, a dream to reopen the boarded-up and recently rediscovered Union Jack Club, and his ongoing love of Jamaican ska and bluebeat.

But as King shows, with its roots in Cockney and West Indian culture, skinheads were never just the 'fick fascist fugs' of Middle England's fevered imaginings".