Helen Garner

The story of the end of a friendship between two teenage girls, told backwards over the course of nine months.

Nora is a single mother who wants to live the life of an artist, as do her friends -- a group of Melbourne writers, actors and musicians. But when she's drawn into a passionate affair with a heroin addict, Nora struggles to maintain control of her life.

The story of sisters Vicki and Beth, when Vicki begins an affair with Beth's intriguing French husband.

Four young heroin addicts scour the streets of Melbourne in search of some good-quality narcotics – or as they call it, 'pure shit’. In the space of 48 hours, a friend dies of an overdose, they are ripped off by criminals and arrested and assaulted by police. They bungle a break-in, get chased by hooligans and one is sent to a methadone clinic. The search for drugs veers between farce and tragedy, but it never stops.

An idealistic film student is drawn into a shadowy and intoxicating world when she befriends an enigmatic performance artist.