Pure is told through the eyes of ten-year-old Paul (Harry Eden) as the audience is made to bear witness to the difficulties the young man must face as he tries to keep his family together in the aftermath of his father's death and his mother's growing addiction to heroin.
The family that sits at the center of the story lives in East London, with Paul and his younger brother fending for themselves. In a parallel to her character's first season arc on Deadwood, Molly Parker portrays Mel, a woman who is self-medicating for a case of the nerves. Where in Deadwood the drug of choice is laudanum, in Pure she's slowly growing addicted to heroin. The youngster Paul assumes responsibility for both his brother and himself as Mel disintegrates into a woman they barely recognize.
A big factor in Mel's addiction is her friend Lenny, who was best man to her husband at their wedding. His method of helping her to find solace is to supply her with heroin, a connection that he is easily able to make since he is known as the local pimp and drug dealer.
Soon, Paul finds the dead body of a woman who had been a friend of his mothers, and comes to the realization that his mother is a junkie. He confronts her about her addiction and tells her he is afraid of losing her. Hearing her son's accusations shocks Mel into reality and she makes a legitimate effort to get clean, sending her youngest son to live with her in-laws temporarily and enlisting Paul's assistance to help her kick the habit. She insists that he lock her in her bedroom and protect her from accepting any further "help" from Lenny.
As he works to help his mother, Paul finds affection and friendship in a young pregnant waitress named Louise (Keira Knightley). Although her companionship gives him a chance to run away from his troubles, his happiness can't last as his mother is taken away by a local detective. Paul gets angry with Mel, and his actions from there will determine the course of many lives. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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