Sex is wasted on the young. The time to behave badly is when you know you're not immortal.
Tom Vane's a happy man. OK, so his wife's told him to 'fuck off and drink yourself to death', but he can see her point of view. And there are plenty of other women out there, especially in the world of the mature student, where mid-life crises present one endless opportunity. Bitter divorcees, downsizing corporate lawyers, dotcom sell-outs, ex-cons, the mental health community; they all wash up on the shores of the west coast in a quest for everything from diversion to salvation.
Tom's left his London home to live a student life the second time around, unencumbered by family responsibilities. It's a shallow, unhealthy existence fuelled by drink, dope and Lidl pizza, where people who once ran companies live by a 'surf and shag' creed. Tom has placed himself firmly in the camp of those who seek only endless diversion, but things begin to change when he encounters someone who is genuinely strange. Perhaps, he dares to think, salvation is possible after all?