Trainspotting is the story of a man who is heavily addicted to heroin in Edinburgh, Scotland. Actor Ewan McGregor portrays Mark Renton, a young man so immersed in the drug underworld that he seems to have little chance of escaping from it. Renton's need for drugs becomes evident early in the movie, when he purchases and takes heroin at the grungy establishment of a dealer who has been nicknamed Mother Superior, "on account of the length of his habit." Renton's subsequent hallucinations allow the viewer to experience the world of heroin addiction in a powerful, memorable way.

Throughout the film, we see different aspects of Renton's life and personality. He finally comes clean after a baby dies at Mother Superior's and Renton himself is admitted to the hospital. With his family's help, Renton begins to build a new life for himself in London; however, his drug-addicted friends from...