Struggling with life in the ghetto, gifted young teen Benjie (Larry B. Scott) turns to heroin to escape his problems. But his troubles only multiply as the drug leads him down a dangerous path to addiction. His mother's boyfriend, Butler (Paul Winfield), tries to help the youth, but Butler has a few things to learn himself before he can get Benjie back on the right track. Ralph Nelson directs this family drama that also stars Cicely Tyson.