It's 'grim up North' for Matt (Rose) until he meets Craig (Bell), a cute, closeted young man who just happens to be a bare-knuckle fighter. Craig's world is violent and cruel, where winning equals cash - but losing can mean death. Attraction and desire are instant, but Craig can't handle intimacy, and although their night together is a disaster, Craig follows Matt back to London.
Matt's boss Kelvin (Daltry), and fag hag flatmate Paula (Behr) don't want to loose Matt to bit of 'Northern rough', and both set out to destroy this passionate romance.
For Craig, 'sophisticated' Soho is a revelation, but how can he stay when those closet to the man he loves want him gone? And if he leaves, will Matt throw aside his success and ambition to be with the first guy he has ever truly loved?