It is the summer of 1965 and things are looking up for ten-year-old Johnboy Taylor in the Townhead district of Glasgow. Not only has he made two new pals, but their dream of owning their own pigeon loft or 'dookit' and competing with the city's grown-up 'doo-men' in the sport they love, could soon become a reality. The only problem is that The Mankys don't have the dosh to pay for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lady Luck begins to shine down on them when Pay Molloy, aka The Big Man, one of Glasgow's top heavies askes them to do him a wee favour. The Mankys are soon embroiled in an adult world of gangsters, police corruption, violence and crime.