Where there's muck there's brass. Dolly Tomkins knows what it's like to live hand to mouth. In the mean streets of 1920s Salford, the only one making a decent living is the talleyman - and Niffy Jack has a moneybag where his heart should be. Dolly's mam is in hock up to her ears, but when Jack offers to wipe the slate clean in return for Dolly's favours, the girl just can't bring herself to do it. Instead, she takes him on at his own game, and in the process is in danger of losing the love of her life.