Glaston Town, a gritty neighbourhood in a corner of London, is home to a cast of motley characters. Immigrants and old-timers, criminals and constables, clergymen and crack addicts, students and shopkeepers, pimps and politicians all live more or less together. Most compelling is Jack Corbyn, a brilliant teenager who would rather count bricks and screws than chase girls. As he matures he becomes an unlikely Glaston Town hero, but his relationship with childhood mate Bee O'Neall is troubled when a wealthy woman who hires her as a companion plucks her out of poverty. Seeking romantic advice,...