Friendships grow in the most unlikely of places. Mrs Reynolds is a little old lady. Jay is a troubled youth. When he vandalises her lovingly tended garden, the authorities send him back to help her fix it. It seems a recipe for disaster - but human beings are more complex than the headlines.
At first glance this is a simple tale of two generations locked in battle, Mrs Reynolds standing up for traditional values with her "nice little house, nice little garden and nice little life" vs. Jay, the textbook chain-smoking hoodie prowling the urban jungle demanding respect but offering little in return.But there is more to these characters than the other suspects. Just as they think they have the measure of each other, something is revealed and they are shocked by what they find out.
Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian explores human nature and friendship alongside the social climate of modern Britain giving a warm, funny and wise glimpse into the way we live now.