An Irish journalist writes a series of stories about drug dealers.

It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley. Frankie, caught between acne and adulthood, has just completed his final exams in school. Convinced he will fail, he survives the summer organising a beach party, having lustful thoughts about two girls he believes are unobtainable and fending off the advances from a visiting American family friend, all whilst coping with his oddball family.

John Riley, an Irish immigrant soldier recruited in the American army during the Mexican-American War faces anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic bigotry from his fellow servicemen and defects to the Mexican army.