DYLAN POOLE (17), a boy-next-door-type, struggles to come to terms with the death of a hero who was not only his father, but his lodestar. Beneath his grief and apparent indifference lies the fear that he has not measured up to his father’s example, and that maybe this had something to do with the failure of his parent’s marriage.
When his close friend CLAIRE BENNETT brings him news of the rumoured sexual assault of his ex-girlfriend, SARAH ROSS, at a party hosted by Dylan’s nemesis, ASH GALLAGHER, he’s dismissive, which earns him a strong rebuke from Claire. (“This is why women don’t come forward…”) Feeling badly, he approaches his best friend, wise-cracking COTTER LYNCH for information. When Cotter is evasive, Dylan reaches out to Sarah who confirms she was roofied and assaulted. The problem is, she can’t remember anything.
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At another party, Dylan rescues TWYLA ECCLES, who has also been roofied. Her brother, the notorious JIM ECCLES (25) gets involved and, through his efforts, Dylan learns Cotter makes a date rape drug called Venom, which he distributes through Ash.
Alienated from her judgemental parents, Sarah spirals downward (“It’s much better to die with the truth than live with illusions.”) Believing Dylan’s suspicion that Ash is her attacker she plans an elaborate suicide in which Ash is invited to her house under the pretext of sex, only to find her lifeless body in the bathtub.
Stricken, Dylan self-medicates with pot, leading his mother (MEREDITH) and a friend to stage an intervention. Dylan is brought face-to-face with the woman - now brain dead - whose careless driving resulted in the death of his father. He learns the power of forgiveness as an antidote to grief and anger.
When Dylan risks his life to save a drowning child, the experience highlights his heroic side and helps him shed his anger and express his grief. Dylan is ready to hear the truth about his parents’ marriage. (“What we were able to save was our friendship. We remained soulmates in our own way.”) He finds solace knowing their split was not his fault. Dylan’s newfound emotional maturity leads to a deeper connection with Claire.
Ash hosts another party at which Cotter gives Ash a powerful drug that makes him paranoid. Believing Jim Eccles is coming to kill him, Ash pulls a gun (“I’m gonna end you right fucking here, tough guy!”), but Dylan thwarts his attempt to kill Jim. Ash runs into the street where he is run over by Sarah’s mother seeking vengeance. Neither survives. During the followup investigation Dylan learns it was Cotter, not Ash, who assaulted Sarah, but Cotter has disappeared.
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Dylan resists pursuing Cotter. Having regained his self-worth, Dylan rejects vengeance in favour of having a healthy, romantic relationship with Claire, his soulmate. In a final twist we follow an anonymous person to a run-down drug den where Cotter is shooting up. The story ends with a final, violent act in which justice is served.
