A gallery of characters in Brooklyn in the 1950s are crushed by their surroundings and selves: a union strike leader discovers he is gay; a prostitute falls in love with one of her clients; a family cannot cope with the fact that their daughter is illegitimately pregnant.

Dave kills his alcoholic father to end the cycle of violence in the house. But when his little brother Tom confesses to the murder and goes to jail, Dave turns to petty crime to pay the bills.

A traumatized teenage marine forms an unlikely bond with a rebellious young girl at his homecoming party.