Father Jerry Donovan has spent his life on the harsh streets of Hell's Kitchen in New York City - first as a member of a street gang and then as a pastor. After the savage murder of his brother, long lost childhood friend Mike O'Mara (William Gargan) brings the priest's dark past to light as Father Donovan tries to undo the mistakes of his misspent adolescence.
The street-wise priest, who can use his hands for punches as well as for prayer, delves into the murder investigation and another old friend, Marty Malone (Victor McLaglen), reemerges. Marty was a pyromaniac in his youth and is now a racketeer who runs an organized crime syndicate.
Father Donovan struggles to avert more bloodshed and remove the tarnish from his own soul in this gritty chronicle of growing up on New York's mean streets.