英国某小镇上的两个男子鲍勃（Bruce Jones 布鲁斯•琼斯 饰）和汤米（Ricky Tomlinson 里奇•汤姆林森 饰）中年失业，生活陷入困境。两人铤而走险，驱车到山里偷羊，然后请屠夫加工羊肉四处兜售。钱未赚到手，赖以为生的货车却又被人偷去。他们只能四处打零工赚钱，水管工、酒吧保镖甚至草皮小偷，为了钱想尽办法。
　　高利贷商人威尔林闯入鲍勃家催帐，羞辱他的妻子和女儿。鲍勃气愤不过，手持铁钳前去寻仇……
　　本片荣获1993年戛纳国际电影节评委会大奖。

　　There's little wonder in the working-class lives of Bill, Eileen, and their three grown daughters. They're lonely Londoners. Nadia, a cafe waitress, places personal ads, looking for love; Debbie, a single mom, entertains men at the hair salon after hours; her son spends part of the weekend with her ex, a man with a hair-trigger temper. Molly is expecting her first baby and its father acts as if the responsibility is too much for him. Eileen is bitter, complaining about her husband and the dog next door; Bill's a doormat. His West Indian neighbor offers him a drink; her own grown son locks himself in his room most of the time. Will anyone connect during this Guy Fawkes weekend? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

　　故事发生在维多利亚时代的英国，彼时田园牧歌式的封建宗法制社会遭到了资本主义的重创，濒临瓦解的边缘。美丽的少女巴斯希巴（凯瑞·穆丽根 Carey Mulligan 饰）继承了姑姑的农场，成为了农场主，有为青年加里布埃尔（马提亚斯·修奈尔 Matthias Schoenaerts 饰）爱上了巴斯希巴，来到了她的农场为她打工。
　　然而，巴斯希巴却并没有将老实的加里布埃尔放在眼里，她疯狂的爱慕着一个名为特洛伊（汤姆·斯图里奇 Tom Sturridge 饰）的花花公子，虽然特洛伊曾经残忍的抛弃了纯洁的少女范尼（朱诺·坦普尔 Juno Temple 饰），但巴斯希巴还是盲目的相信这个男人能够给自己带来梦寐以求的完美爱情。