Joe Taylor (Ewan McGregor) is a man who is down on his luck, and spends his days going from town to town looking for work or some way to con townsfolk out of their money. One day he journeys to Glasgow, Scotland where he finds employment working on a river transport ship. Shortly there after Joe is witness to a young girl’s death in the river. When he is questioned about her whereabouts, he only reveals a little of the information that he knows. He is somewhat suspected in the girl’s death, but there is no evidence to prove this. Further complicating matters is that Joe begins to romance the daughter of his employer, Ella (Tilda Swinton).