Billy Benson has a reputation as a "bad boy" largely due to his habit of winding up in fist fights. Billy is usually fighting to defend his dad's reputation. John Benson is the town ne'er-do-well: a failed inventor who has labored the past 20 years on what he believes is a revolutionary fire extinguisher. Wealthy businessman Walter Howe realizes that it really is a million-dollar idea, and plots...

The tenements are home to an international community, including the friends and family of a tough young ragamuffin named Annie Rooney, but their neighborhood may be threatened by a dangerous street gang.