Charlie Dyce has just been released from a juvenile detention centre. He'd been placed there after having broken into his school, not to steal anything but just to sit there in silence. Once released he leaves his home in Scotland and travels to London. He was not prepared for London's harsh reality and aggression. After starting work at a café, he meets Myra, a teenage prostitute, and Myra's pimp, Frank. Frank disapproves of Charlie and Myra's developing relationship, mostly because he's in love with Myra himself. He finds out that Myra is pregnant and reaps a cruel revenge on the couple. Charlie and Myra split up when Myra is forced into hospital, and Charlie reverts to a life of humiliation and prostitution.