A coming of age film set in Dublin in 1977, a watershed year in Irish history. Seventeen year-old Frankie has just finished his Leaving Cert and convinced that he has done badly. Gone is the future with college life and gorgeous girls. He decides to enjoy the summer as much as he can before his parents, his vagabond acting father or nationalistic mother discover his fate.
He spends his summer wandering aimlessly with his friends Nelson and Hopper and develops a mild obsession for Jayne Wayne and Romy Casey, two local girls. Even the arrival of a distant American cousin, Erin, or his mothers relentless political campaigning, fail to motivate Frankie. Indeed his eccentric, rather dysfunctional family are the cause of even more anxiety.
However as the summer draws to a close, Frankie becomes more assured of his identity. He gets the attention of both Jayne and Romy, loses his virginity and passes his exams.