A young man is released from prison after many years and given a new identity in a new town. Under the watchful guidance of his dedicated caseworker, the parolee assumes the name Jack Burridge, and tries to re-settle inconspicuously in working-class Manchester. Taking a delivery job, Jack slowly learns about everything he missed while growing up in prison. In time, Jack enjoys the esteem of co-workers and love of a compassionate girlfriend, Kelly. But the he becomes part of the fabric of this new world, the more he risks being exposed as a fraud and Jack's happy-ever-after is cut short when, fatefully, an impulsive act of heroism leads to his exposure.