Coast to Coast

John Carloff arrives in Liverpool on a tourist coach to answer a help ad from Ritchie Lee about setting up a mobile soul disco. He brings a five-foot-high stack of original soul singles, while Ritchie owns the disco equipment and an old ice-cream van. The pair quickly bond over the music and the sense of adventure.

Their first bookings go wrong: they are booked for a geriatrics evening, which hardly suits their vibe. They then turn up for a Wirral mansion party that turns out to be a wedding reception in a Kirkby pub, sparking tension and chaos. The van breaks down as they attempt a hurried escape after the brawl.

Kecks, a British Rail buffet car attendant who once sold them the van, appears with a plan. He sends them to load gear from his lock-up and promises to fix the van the next morning for free, while also offering paid work. The trio forms a wary alliance as the night unfolds.

The lads load several parcels into the van at Kecks's lock-up and go to his flat. Kecks hides a parcel in the freezer and slips them £20, telling them to stay mobile. A quick return to a pub reveals the £20 note is fake, cutting them off from any easy escape.

Kecks explains he has stolen printing plates for £20 notes from a London gang and plans to skip the country with them. He tells the lads the plates are in the van and hints they will be contacted later in Parkestone. He urges them to stay mobile and not trust anyone.

John and Richie reluctantly agree to move the plates for £1,000 upfront and another £1,000 on arrival, then refuse Kecks a lift to the airport. On their way out, they see two cockney-voiced men and decide to head to Parkestone instead of heading home. The plan to stay mobile intensifies.

As the lads head toward Parkestone, the two cockney gangsters (Johnny Shannon and The Chiropodist) reach Kecks and kill him, exposing the danger behind the scheme. The boys learn they’ve been swindled and that Kecks' plan has collapsed. The murder propels them to press on despite the danger.

With days to travel, John and Richie take a zig-zag route to avoid pursuit by the cockney gangsters and the police. A news bulletin places two men as suspects in Kecks' murder, pushing them to stay one step ahead. They keep moving, unsure of who will come for them next.

They stop at a small hotel run by a racist landlord and encounter a llama as comic distraction. Richie flirts with the landlord's daughter Susan; John confesses AWOL status to her and ends up sharing a night with Susan. The tension between their pasts and present pressures grows.

Curtis, an American soldier with a broken car, offers them a ride to a U.S. base and asks them to perform in the soldiers' canteen. Richie performs with the TAC Wing R&B Allstars, singing "Knock on Wood", and later John joins for a duet on stage. The crowd's reaction re-energizes their bond.

One of the soldiers recognizes John during the performance, hinting at his past and the danger of being discovered. The duet between Richie and John earns rapturous applause and renews their resolve to stay together despite the risks. The moment strengthens their friendship amid mounting pressure.

The pair reach Parkestone to discover the gangsters have arrived first and murdered their intended recipient. The criminals threaten John and Richie with a sawn-off shotgun, but a lever incident sends them into a grain vat where they suffocate. Police arrive soon after, changing the trajectory of both men's lives.

Months later at a Military Detention Centre in Massachusetts, John has finished his sentence and reunites with a transformed Richie, who is driving a gleaming American car. Richie explains he was left some money and that they have a gig in Pasadena, miles away from everything they know. They drive off together toward the unknown future as the credits roll.