Bess Roundtree is a addicted to crack cocaine. She is a new young mother and cannot seem to handle the task. She calls a friend of hers for a cab ride to an old church that she attended as a little girl. The cab driver is both annoyed and disgusted to have to do her this favor. Once she arrives at the church, she runs into her old deacon, whom she convinces to pray for her. A prayer for her to come back some day. The unsuspecting deacon enters into his office, which is when Bess places the young baby on the church steps. And just walks away. On the cab ride back, she argues and fights with Aaron, the cabdriver, who we discover has a special relationship with Bess. Things unfold to an interesting finale when Bess confronts her demons.

In 1980 young George O'Dowd baffles his parents with his love of frocks and make-up and moves into a squat with kindred spirit Peter,who dresses as Marilyn Monroe and calls himself Marilyn. They make a splash at Steve Strange's trendy Blitz Club where George gets a job in the cloakroom but George is unlucky in his relationships with men until he meets wannabe musician Kirk. Through Kirk George meets the handsome drummer Jon Moss,on whom he develops a crush, but sacked by the Blitz and spurned by Kirk,George turns to Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren to further his music career. George's spell with McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow is short but fan Mikey North is impressed and asks George to sing in a group he is forming,where George again meets Jon. They will have an affair and the group will become the very successful Culture Club. Four years later, however, hounded by the tabloid press amid stories of his drug addiction, an unhappy George turns to Jon for advice on his future.

A father, anxious for his son's financial well being, develops a special soda pop called Dopokoke which is laced with cocaine. Dopokoke is advertised as relief "for that tired feeling." The drink is a success, but the son becomes addicted to it, much to his father's regret. Loosely based on the allegations that the Coca-Cola company and other soft drink manufacturers laced their soda with dope.

A young drug dealer watches as his high-rolling life is dismantled in the wake of his cousin's murder, which sees his best friend arrested for the crime.