Peter Graham is a young man who moved to Southend-on-Sea on the Essex coast in England to be with his girl-friend. However, things do not work out and they split up leaving Peter at a loose end with his life not seeing any future for himself. To make matters worse he hates Southend and longs to get away. Unfortunately, his pay as a shop assistant is sufficiently low that it will take him years to save up to get away. At first he distances himself from the local people but after getting to know some of them he quickly finds himself embroiled in a dark web of intrigue and blackmail.