In summer 1994 in a quiet mining village just outside Doncaster, a rumour stirs about the legend of a giant carp in the nearby decoy ponds. Trevor takes watch one night at the water's edge. The following night, he decides to lead a brigade of young friends and neighbours on a fishing expedition. In a world of broken families, cassette tapes, and rumbling political fever, these friends, with their own struggles to bear, share a moment of harmony that they will never forget as they witness the carp for themselves.

Em 1983, o assassino em série escocês Dennis Nilsen é preso após a descoberta de restos mortais que bloquearam um ralo perto de sua casa em Londres.