Tom Scougher is in a downward spiral, teaching a class he dislikes almost as much as he dislikes himself. He yearns for the life of yesteryear when he was younger and fitter, and mourns the premature death of his wife.
He has few friends and he lives in fear of his Head Teacher Zara. A chance encounter leads Scougher to meet journalist Yasmin Middleton while she’s researching the real reasons behind a string of fake-news-style, and frankly bizarre, government announcements.
What is suddenly wrong with exercise and healthy food? Why don’t the government want teachers to teach? Why are school dinners being supplied by kebab shops? Yasmin thinks it must be some kind of deep-seated scam but has no inclination as to the full extent of the scheme lurking in the background.
As Scougher takes the first steps to turn his jaded life around, Yasmin begins to discover the real horror of the government plot.