The film centres on schoolboy Benjamin Stanfield and his unpopular, bespectacled friend, Arthur Dyson, who wears a leg brace; their form master, Father Goddard, and a travelling motorcyclist named Blakey.<ref name=Absolution></ref> The opening scenes feature Connolly's character, Blakey, arriving at the school on his motorbike. He asks Father Goddard (Burton) whether there are any odd jobs he can do but Goddard tells him that there are none available and that he should try in the town.