Shane gets a grant to go to college, but drops out and uses the money to buy some cocaine, which he breaks up and sells off. He finds he has a knack for the trade, and is soon enjoying boom-time Dublin's nightlife with rolls of cash in his pockets. He meets Elizabeth and they fall in love.But soon rival dealers become a threat, the police start nosing around, and Elizabeth turns out to have a dangerous ex-boyfriend. The pressure on Shane builds, and the good times end for him, giving way to paranoia, fear and a violent, climactic ending.