Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) is released from prison on parole after serving 8 years for East London drug lord Glen (Andy Serkis). He returns to find his sons, 15-year-old Dean (Will Poulter) and 11-year-old Jimmy (Sammy Williams), have been abandoned by their mother, who moved to Spain with her boyfriend. Dean has dropped out of high school and is working on a construction site to make a living. Bill is followed to the local pub by his former friends Dickie (Neil Maskell) and Terry (Leo Gregory). They offer him another job working for Glen, but he turns it down due to his parole. Bill ends up getting drunk with his former associates and is given a bag by Terry containing an undetermined amount of cocaine. Bill is dropped round Dean and Jimmy's house by Pill and Dickie who explain to them both that Bill is their old man and he's back on the outside. Upon waking up, Dean makes it clear he doesn't want any involvement with Bill and he's to have left the house by the time he returns home from work. Bill goes to visit his parole officer Kelly (Olivia Williams), who, upon hearing that Dean and Jimmy were living by themselves, sends social services to the flat. Bill comes home and Dean forces him to stay, requisitioning his drugs and putting Bill's plans to move to Scotland and work with his friend on hold.