The book opens with a scene featuring the primary protagonist, Mark Renton, also called “Rents” or “Rent Boy” by the other characters, and his friend Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson. Mark is describing how he is trying to watch a Jean-Claude Van Damme video but can’t focus because Simon is coming down off a high and in need of a fresh heroin fix: “The sweat wis lashing oofay Sick Boy; he wis trembling. Ah wis jist sitting thair, focusing oan the telly, tryin no tae notice the cunt. He wis bringing me doon” (1).

Simon finally convinces Mark that they need to go find their dealer. The two take a taxi to see their go-to guy, Johnny Swan, also known as “Mother Superior” or the “White Swan.” This is one of Mark’s preferred dealers because he provides “better gear, usually” (6). By the time they reach Johnny’s, Mark is also sweating and cramping, experiencing his own withdrawal symptoms.

Johnny is high when they arrive, hanging out with his “sidekick” Raymie, also a dealer, and a woman, Alison. They all shoot up together. Johnny makes a dark joke, suggesting that Simon can only shoot up if he shares “his works.