Tanya arrives in London with her son Artyom, expecting to be met by her boyfriend. When he doesn't show and immigration wants to send her back to Russia, she asks for political asylum to buy some time. She has no idea that this will consign them for at least a year to a detention center, a fenced "city" near an abandoned seaside amusement park. Once there, realizing her boyfriend will never help her, she just wants to go home, but withdrawing the petition for asylum takes months. She's approached by pornographers inviting her to strip on line for cash; she's befriended by Alfie, a clerk at a convenience store at the center. She's a dreamer; what can she do?