A young drifter working on a river barge disrupts his employers' lives while hiding the fact that he knows more about a dead woman found in the river than he admits.

Joe, a rootless young drifter, finds work on a barge travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh, owned by Les and his wife Ella. One afternoon they discover the corpse of a young woman floating in the water. Accident? Suicide? Murder? As the police investigate and suspect is arrested, we discover that Joe knows more than he is letting on. Gradually we learn of Joe's past relationship with the dead woman. Meanwhile an unspoken attraction develops between Joe and Ella, heightening the claustrophobic tensions in the confined space of the barge.—Anonymous

In Glasgow, the drifter of few words Joe Taylor is working in an old boat with the sailor Les Gault and his wife Ella Gault transporting coal and other cargoes through the River Clyde. While loading the hold with coal, they find the body of a young woman wearing petticoat floating on the river and they bring it to the harbor. Joe recalls through flashbacks his relationship with his former mistress Cathie Dimly, while he seduces Ella in a carnal attraction, having sex with her in the absence of Les. When the police arrest a suspect of the murder of woman, Joe becomes interested in the case, while his thoughts disclose the truth about the death of the victim.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A young drifter named Joe (McGregor) finds work on a barge owned by the down-to-earth Les (Mullan) and his enigmatic wife Ella (Swinton). One afternoon Joe and Les happen upon the corpse of a young woman floating in the water and the questions begin. Accident? Suicide? Murder? As the police investigate the case and a suspect is arrested, it becomes evident that Joe knows more about the drowned woman than he will admit.