In the Scottish and melancholic Glasgow of the 1950s, a young aspiring writer, Joe Taylor, approaches life with a mixture of apathy and unrestrained curiosity. After securing a job at a bar on a boat, his existence begins to intertwine with a group of strange and marginalized characters. His life takes an unexpected turn when he discovers the body of a drowned woman in the river; this finding becomes a powerful magnet that draws him towards mystery and darkness.
As he navigates his relationships, Joe finds himself caught in a love triangle with the wife of the bar owner, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage, and the seductive but unstable bar friend. His quest for pleasure leads him to explore sexuality, death, and the emptiness of everyday life. In each encounter, whether with a fleeting lover or a distant gaze, it becomes clear that morality is a flexible concept in his world.
As the weight of his actions begins to accumulate and the past returns to haunt him, Joe faces the desolation of an uncertain future. The oppressive atmosphere of Glasgow reflects his own internal torment, forcing him to question the nature of his identity and his desires. The film immerses us in a journey of self-discovery, filled with darkness, passion, and the search for meaning in a world that seems to be crumbling around him.