Jack is a young man in his early twenties who lives in subsidized housing near Dublin with his mother, Jean. He drives a night taxi but doesn't get much business. Jean is an alcoholic and her addiction is slowly killing her. Jack comes home and finds her unconscious in bed, about to choke on her own vomit. He rushes her to the hospital, where she is treated. The doctor tells Jack that his mother is systematically killing herself and soon will need a liver transplant. Jack's best friend is Shane. The two don't have much to occupy themselves and act like teenagers. Shane refuses to pay the overdue fine on a DVD rental, is ordered off the premises, and openly steals a bag of chips on his way out. He is angry because his ex-girlfriend won't allow him to see their son, even though he pays child support when he can. Bridie is Shane's mother. She is very loving toward her son; something Jack wistfully envies. Once Jean has recovered from her latest binge, she goes in search of liquor. But Jack has poured it out. Jean screams, wrecks the kitchen, and is filmed by Jack so she can view it later. He is desperate for her to get help because he cannot keep taking care of her. He is tired of cleaning up after her and peeling her off the doorstep whenever she's passed out. Jack has a younger brother, Kit, who has Down's Syndrome. Kit lives in a group home and Jean never comes to see him. She refers to him as "The Thing." Jack is very close to Kit and visits whenever he can. Kit's eighteenth birthday is approaching but once again Jean will not visit him, although she sends him a birthday card via Jack. Kit is obviously very fond of Jack although he isn't much interested in the card from his mother. Jack takes Kit on a fast ride in the car; driving in circles in a deserted parking lot. Jean is suspicious when Jack brings home several bottles of wine. She thinks he is making fun of her. But he explains that he simply wants to see why she likes drinking so much. Later in the evening, she mentions how much she and the boys' father had liked dancing. They used to dance all night long. But once Kit was born, their relationship ended. Neither of them could cope with having a Down's child. Jean's friends and family all but abandoned her when she needed help. Then she found a silent friend who would never let her down. The friend's name was alcohol. Jean further explains that she was unable to bond with Kit. Jack hears about a free program in a nearby facility and forces Jean to enroll. They go to a group meeting. The facilitator is a middle-aged man named Joe, who is a recovering alcoholic. Jack finds him very easy to talk to. He explains all about his mother and how he can't keep on taking care of her after a binge. Joe feels that hope is not lost; that even though Jean was forced to enter the program she wouldn't have if she didn't want help. They can keep her there for a week but after that she will need to enter a private facility. There is a good one but a twenty-eight day stay cost 8000 pounds. John explains that he doesn't have the money. He has tried without success to get more hours at work. Joe insists on loaning Jack some money, explaining that he always has a little put aside to help people. Jack contacts his boss and again asks for more hours. After he explains the situation with his mother, he is told that "something" might be arranged. Meanwhile Shane has decided to emigrate. After an emotional farewell scene with his mother, Shane gets into the taxi so John can drive him to the airport. On the way they stop at a video arcade. To Shane's surprise, his ex-girlfriend and their son are there. John arranged it. Shane and the little boy play a few games but then it is time to leave. Shane hugs his son and promises to see him soon. Jack is given instructions which don't seem to make sense. He takes an Asian woman to meet someone. She gets in the car and they drive away. The next day John drives to a riding academy and someone on a horse passes him a can. The contents are his share, which apparently is enough for a down payment on Jean's expenses. She tells Jack she can't promise him anything but she will try. Jack's boss asks him if he is ready for a bigger assignment. The directions are sent to him in a text message. After driving to what seems to be a deserted house in the country, Jack comes across an Asian woman in the bathtub. She begins screaming as if she is possessed. He bundles her up and carries her to his car. She is young and has obviously been beaten. To quieten her, he places earbuds so she can listen to music on his iPod. His phone begins vibrating; a signal that his boss is calling. But Jack ignores it. He is in way over his head. Obviously very frightened, he drives away from the house but then veers off the road. He says aloud that he can't do this. An image comes into his mind of himself, his mother, and Kit all smiling and greeting one another as a reunited family. But reality intervenes. Jack drives the girl to Joe, who assesses her injuries before leaving the room to presumably call the authorities. Here the movie ends.