Fleet-footed Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) is a rebellious teenager in the poverty-stricken town of Nottingham, in northern England, who enjoys running as an escape from his harsh reality. Caught stealing cash from a bakery, Colin is sent to a reform school where the manipulative governor (Michael Redgrave) promotes sports as rehabilitation by enlisting Colin in a foot race against a prestigious rival school. What the governor doesn't realize is that Colin is not so easily disciplined.