The film begins by exploring stories involving a number of different characters who live in and around London, all of whom have experiences which lead them to believe that justice in the country is not being handed out fairly. These characters include nice guy white-collar worker Gene Dekker (Danny Dyer), who is brutally beaten by a yob after colliding with his car. Danny Bryant (Sean Bean) is a paratrooper who has seen action in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq and who arrives back from abroad to find his wife with someone else, and also believes that the state of the country is worse than the war-torn places he has recently served in. Crown Court prosecution barrister Cedric Munroe (Lennie James) receives death threats towards his pregnant wife, being told they will only be safe if he pulls out of the case against club owner and heroin dealer Terry Manning (Rob Fry), a boss of the criminal underworld, who Munroe is currently prosecuting. Cambridge University student Sandy Mardell (Rupert Friend) and son of Bryant's former commanding officer has only recently left hospital, though the thugs who scarred him for life in an unprovoked physical attack were released from prison before he had made his recovery.