Jack is fifteen, unkempt and unhappy. He feels cut off from the rest of his family but, at the same time, drawn towards his self-confident and pretty sixteen-year-old sister Julie, who doesnt appear to suffer from any of the problems of puberty. Jack's father rules the family with the affected air of an ex-officer. His mother attempts to smooth the waves. Her loving, albeit weak motherly influence is reserved in particular for her six-year-old son, Tom, who is obviously her favourite. Twelve-year-old Sue, on the other hand, has withdrawn into her own world of books and secret thoughts. Their house stands alone in the midst of a no-mans land, surrounded by the ruins of what used to be a residential area. One day Dad gives up on the weeds outside ; he sets to work cementing the entire garden...