Based on a novel by Sue McCauley, this story of a socially forbidden affair between Liz (Lisa Harrow) a 32-year-old, middle-class woman and Tug (Mark Pilisi) a 16-year-old street kid develops as an intriguing study in breaking through the restrictions that put the brakes on human development. Liz is restive in her role as wife and mother in a socially elite circle of modern Auckland, and Tug -- who lives on the opposite side of the tracks -- is a smart, humorous, impoverished teen beginning to be aware that life has much more to offer than evading the police. Liz leaves her home and family and strikes out to start her own life when she meets Tug. She seems to have everything Tug admires, and he has all the independence she prizes most -- but their race, their age difference, and their economic backgrounds are three factors that work against a growing mutual attraction.