Forced into the streets of Bombay to beg for an abusive caretaker, young siblings Bhola and Belu can barely make enough to stay alive. Yet despite their hardships, the children befriend a gentle neighbor (David) who makes them vow never to beg, no matter what they have to do to survive. Bhola takes up shining shoes, but when business goes bad, in order to feed his starving sister, he may have to break his promise.