In the north of England, a mother returns home after an all night outing to find her adolescent daughter Ruby waiting alone. Both tenderly loved and carelessly neglected by her mother, Ruby copes through her imagination. She tries to create a manageable world from her drawings and cut out pages of catalogues. “You can’t cut out a perfect future,” her mother warns her. And then, when her mother lets the unimaginable happen, Ruby’s world collapses and she is left on her own.
Through experiencing various characters, in particular the strange and kindly Trainspotter, her resilience manifests. She begins to navigate her way beyond the confines of the house and experience the possibilities of her life. And to connect ever more deeply with her mother’s love.