В центре истории лорд Лонгфорда и один из известнейших политиков Великобритании — Фрэнк Пакенхем, чьи противоречивые убеждения привели к множеству политических споров и личных конфликтов.
DC Lenny Milton (Winstone) is not as ambitious as his best friend and popular boss DCI Michael Love (Dunbar), but the pair are drinking partners and their wives and children are close. However, this goes very wrong over the space of 7 days, when Milton is approached by the police complaints division asking him to go undercover and investigate allegations of corruption against his friend. Milton finds this difficult at first and tries to dismiss the evidence building up. But as his suspicions begin to take shape his position appears to be in danger.
Bud is a lonely and quiet boy whose moments of solace occur when he sits in rapture at the local cinema, watching towering and iconic figures on the movie screen. The movies give Bud the strength to get through another day as he deals with his oppressive school environment and his burgeoning homosexuality.
A woman attempts to escape her domestic problems by fleeing to New York in search of her father. She finds him, and also new problems, some friendship, a romance, and an unexpected career as pro-boxer, to make ends meet.