London, the East End, 1969: The Beatles are kings of the hit parade; America and the USSR are the only nuclear superpowers - and the arrest and pending trial of Ronnie and Reggie Kray, self-appointed Princes of the East End, dominate the headlines.
One fine summer’s night, a Ministry of Defence facility in west London is virtually destroyed by an explosion and devastating fire; an event that leads to our heroes Danny (Jack Huston) and Kenny (Ray Winstone) coming into possession of what turns out to be a large lump of Uranium, the Hot Potato!

Unaware of The Hot Potato’s true value but now realising the danger they’ve been exposed to, Kenny and Danny – ably assisted by Danny’s girlfriend, the beautiful and surprising Carole (Lois Winstone) and shadowed at every turn by the unshakeable criminal Harry Fisher (Colm Meaney) - reluctantly embark on an adventure, taking them to places they would never have dreamed of, and into the company of an ever increasing assortment of shady and bizarre characters.

As offer and counter-offer give way to double and triple cross, the story twists and turns on the way to the exciting and unexpected finale. But who wins and who loses? And what happens to The Hot Potato?