Grendel is an ancient monster, failing to understand the human life going on all around him. He does his best to comfort the cancer patient he cares for; he can fluff pillows and change bedpans, but cannot understand the dying man’s ramblings or make his pain go away. On a rare trip to the shops, Grendel tries to console a young girl, Ali, who has been kicked out of her Mother’s flat. Like everyone else on the estate, she is fascinated by and terrified of the beast. Later, as Ali follows Grendel back to the estate, the family secrets that surround the discovery of the old man’s old trumpet come to the fore. As death gets ever closer, Grendel faces a choice; the consequences of which might help him achieve the insight into people he’s been waiting hundreds of years to experience