Is This the Real World

In the real world, you can’t always do as you please; compromises are necessary. However, Mark Blazey refuses to accept this reality. Living in a semi-industrial coastal town, seventeen-year-old Mark is an intelligent teenager from a tumultuous family background. He has just given up a scholarship to a private school and is now attending the local high school. There, he becomes the target of an authoritarian principal who exerts control over everything. At home, Mark faces a brother on the verge of imprisonment, a grandmother battling for her life, and a mother whose temper is kept in check by boxed wine. He feels a strong urge to protect his younger sister. When Mark experiences his first true love, he attempts to escape the pressures of his life with her. However, his romantic interest is the daughter of his adversary, the school principal. This leads to escalating conflicts between student and teacher, and between son and mother.