Young Jo (Rita Tushingham) struggles to survive a series of hard knocks in Tony Richardson's realistic tale of working-class life in 1960s England. Abandoned by her alcoholic mother (Dora Bryan), Jo is taken in by a kindly gay friend (Murray Melvin), who nobly sets about creating an unconventional family when the girl discovers she's pregnant. But plans for a happy home fall apart when Jo's wretched, parasitic mum shows up.