The story of the spectacular life and violent death of playwright Joe Orton. In his teens, Orton is befriended by the older, more reserved Kenneth Halliwell, and while the two begin a relationship, it is fairly obvious that it is not all about sex. Orton loves the dangers of bath-houses and liaisons in public restrooms, Halliwell, not as charming or attractive as Orton, less so. While both long to become writers, it is Orton who achieves fame - his plays Entertaining Mr. Sloane and Loot become huge hits in London in the 1960s and he is even commissioned to write a screenplay for the Beatles. But his success takes him farther from Halliwell, whose response ended both his life and the life of the up-and-coming playwright.