 Abandoned by his father at an early age, Jim MacLaine seems to have inherited the old man s restlessness. Despite his apparent intelligence, Jim decides not to take the exams that would pave his way to university. He lives, for a time, a life consisting of dead-end jobs and meaningless sex, before returning home to work in his mother s shop. But still he can t settle down; he begins to think that the life of a pop musician might be the thing for him.