Jake lives in the shadow of his dying grandfather, who was once the town's toughest hard man. Despite their hatred of each other, Jake's sole aim is to be as tough as the old man was. One day in Jake's life, as he drifts, drinks and fights, leads to a bleak realisation.
In the dark days of 1914 Willie Rough set out to find work in Greenock. He becomes a shipbuilding shop steward and soon finds himself involved in a bitter political and industrial conflict.