Simone, a young and scatter-brained Italian, is sent to Dublin to learn English, his parents secretly hoping it will knock some sense into him.
Of wealthy origin, he is expecting the same in Ireland, but is sent to the sprawling suburbs of Dublin, and the Ferguson family, complete with the father of the house under threat of being laid off.
There he meets the family's daughter, a death-obsessed Goth with a passion for crucifixes, leather and getting into trouble. Simone is obsessed with her, and one evening they steal into the night and embark on a bizarre journey across Ireland, pursued by their respective fathers.