Waking up in an East London hospital, with no identity or recollection of his past, the narrator has no option but to resign himself to a homeless and directionless existence.
Adopting the name of Robin Forest, he seeks refuge in a hostel and meets other displaced people who begin to influence his life: Luther, a modern-day Fagin; Charlotte, a suspected drug addict; Adrian, an exiled gay headmaster; Keith, an overbearing bore, hiding from the police; Sniffy, a recruiter for an east end gang.
Robin seeks to make a living by negotiating a begging pitch from Luther. He also befriends Charlotte, whose sister Kathy lies in a coma from a forced heroin overdose.
Triggered by conversations with his new found friends, Robin begins to have minor insights to his past life, and to his concern and disbelief, discovers that he is a wanted for drug dealing and murder.
On the run, Robin attempts to find the truth about himself and Kathy's overdose, but gets drawn into the criminal underworld of East London.
Following several murders, means, motive, and opportunity all point to out-of-work actresses Bootsie Kittredge and Babs Harrison. Their claims of righteousness and lack of guilt seem fabricated, thanks to a cheerfull announcement made to the patrons
