Carol Bolton (Sarah Smart) is feisty, passionate and reckless. Life has dealt her a raw deal. She lives in poverty-stricken Sparkhouse Farm with a drunken father, Richard (Alun Armstrong). Carol's determined to protect those closest to her - younger sister Lisa (Abigail James) and her soul mate since childhood, Andrew Lawton (Joseph McFadden).
Lykke (13), the daughter of a prominent Labour Party politician, has accidentally beaten her classmate Jamie, the son of a local right wing-politician, to death. Lykke claims Jamies death was an accident, but nobody believes her. The schools principal, Liv, is an idealist who, against her political beliefs, has been living in a secret relationship with Karl Erik, Jamies father. When they cant keep their relationship a secret anymore, the surroundings react with disbelief. Livs brother Anders is Lykke and Jamies class teacher. He was supposed to be in the school yard when the accident happened, and is overwhelmed with guilt for not having been able to prevent the accident from happening. Like water surrounding an undertow, well experience how the community relates to the accident and the aftermath. How could it happen - and how is it possible to continue living afterwards?
