Twelve-year-old James (William Eadie) lives on a rundown Glasgow housing estate with his alcoholic father. Haunted by the drowning of his best friend, James is irresistibly drawn to the site of the death, which now plays host to a new housing development. There he meets a similarly troubled young girl (Leanne Mullen), with whom he strikes up an unusual friendship.

Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay directs this adaptation of the bestselling novel by Lionel Shriver. Tilda Swinton stars as Eva, the afflicted and angst-ridden mother who fails to bond with her son Kevin (played at the various stages of his childhood by Rock Duer, Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller) from his birth onwards. Now estranged from her former husband Franklin (John C. Reilly), Eva struggles to deal with her grief, isolation and feelings of responsibility after Kevin's sociopathic behaviour reaches new heights with a high school killing spree.