At the start of a new century, 21 year-old cousins Malcolm and David reflect on their radically different upbringings and consider their current situations: Malcolm, black and in trouble with the police; David, never really thinking about his mixed-heritage and enjoying life at university. Malcolm is fiercely conscious of his colour, instilled in him by his activist mother, Yvonne. For David, life with his parents, Samantha and Kev, was much more relaxed. But Malcolm has a secret that David unwittingly unlocks when he invites him to a university event and the two young men reach for an understanding that will make them closer than ever.