On his release from a young offender's institution, Charlie Dyce 's single-mindedness makes him both friends and enemies when he eventually finds work in a seedy London cafe. There he meets and falls fora teenage prostitute, Myra, whose love transforms his life and gives him back a sense of identity. But when she becomes pregnant with Charlie's baby, her jealous pimp Frank exacts his revenge, pushing Charlie's powers of endurance to the limit.

A once renowned jazz pianist who is now an alcoholic, a gambler and a womaniser comes to England to play a a series of gigs. There, he meets his match in the woman appointed as his minder for the week.