It's winter, 1938 in Albany, New York. The soup kitchens and flophouses are overflowing with homeless people. Francis Phelan wanders the streets, back in his hometown after 22 years, ready to confront the family he abandoned long ago. While sharing his whiskey with longtime 'pal' Helen, Francis reveals the dark secrets of his past, the painful memories from which he once tried to escape, but now must reconcile.