Jimmy Porter (Richard Burton), the archetypal "angry young man" is a university graduate living with his wife Allison (Mary Ure) in squalor. He reviles society, the upper classes, the State, the Church and everything else that he sees as governed by hypocrisy. For a living, the disgruntled Jimmy runs a sweet stall in a street market run by Hurst (Donald Pleasence). Jimmy’s turbulent relationship with middle-class Allison fluctuates between affection and abuse depending on his mood; he loves his wife but can't help verbally abusing her. Allison's best friend, actress Helena Charles (Claire Bloom), encourages the downtrodden wife to escape her abusive marriage and leave him. Now left alone, Helena succumbs to Jimmy’s desolation and the two become lovers… Along with Room at the Top, playwright John Osborne’s gritty kitchen-sink drama lent impetus to the new wave of British realist film-making.