Chris and Jenny are teenage lovers from the gritty side of modern Oxford, England in this adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Philip Pullman (author of The Golden Compass). Chris, a naive lad, suspended between school and college, and Jenny, a free spirit fleeing a traumatized childhood. They are caught in the crossfire, as Carson, a gangster gunman with a grudge, comes looking for Chris's boss, to avenge events from long ago. Heady romance gives way to growing suspense as Carson closes in until, in a final eruption of violence, the star-crossed lovers are sundered forever.