It's 1932 and middle-class Malcolm lives with his mother in Highgate. Though confident and capable at work, he is tormented by "beastly inclinations"-a strong attraction to young men. One drunken evening at Charlie Brown's pub in Limehouse he meets Alfie, a working-class docker-and the most beautiful young man Malcolm has ever seen. Alfie is friendly, kind and changes everything by making Malcolm's inclinations seem considerably less beastly-but...