In 1980s England, bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a young Nicaraguan refugee in Glasgow with a tragic life story. The film follows the two as they meet, fall in love and travel to Nicaragua so that Carla can face the ghosts of her past. However, as soon as they arrive, they are caught up in the war between the US-backed "contras" and the left-wing Sandinista regime. The first collaboration between Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty, which continues to this day.