In a New York City housing project, Johnny Pope [Don Murray] lives with his pregnant wife Celia Pope [Eva Marie Saint] and his brother Polo Pope [Anthony Franciosa]. A Korean War veteran who survived days trapped in a cave, Johnny was painted as a hero in the newspapers, yet his return to civilian life is shadowed by a secret morphine addiction. With Polo as the only family member who sees the truth, the film follows how this dependency strains every corner of their cramped world and intertwines their fates.
When their father, John Pope, Sr. [Lloyd Nolan], arrives from Florida, he hopes to collect the $2,500 Polo saved and promised to him for remodeling his own bar. He praises Johnny’s war record, his wife, and the comfortable apartment they share, while dismissing Polo as “low-class.” The tension thickens as John Sr. remains unaware that Polo gave that money to Johnny, who spent it on drugs instead. Johnny has already lost four jobs, and the couple stands on the edge of separation; Celia suspects infidelity, but the truth is far more damaging: Johnny’s days are consumed by a desperate hunt for the next fix as the police crack down on dealers.
The visit is interrupted by Mother [Henry Silva], the drug dealer, who comes with his henchmen Apples [William Hickey] and Chuch [Gerald S. O'Loughlin]. They demand repayment of a $500 debt and warn that Johnny will be put in the hospital if the money isn’t paid. Mother gives Johnny one dose to hold him over until the next day and hands him a gun, hinting that robbery might be the only way to raise the funds. Reluctantly, Johnny begs Celia for help, but the fight between habit and duty pushes him back into the night as he roams the streets trying to find relief.
Back at the apartment, Polo’s quiet confession of love for Celia emerges in a moment of loneliness and desperation. Celia, feeling neglected and emotionally adrift, nearly responds, but the two fall asleep in separate rooms, preserving boundaries that neither can fully claim. The next morning arrives with a new strain: John Sr. wants to spend the day with Johnny, but Johnny coerces Polo into driving him to a dealer by threatening to jump into traffic if he doesn’t comply. The dealer is interrupted by an arrest, but Johnny’s withdrawal deepens as Mother and his gang close in, demanding payment. They take $12 from Polo’s wallet and insist Polo sell his car to cover Johnny’s $500 debt. Polo pleads with Johnny to tell Celia the truth about his addiction.
The fix provides only temporary relief, and Johnny attempts to repair his marriage with a romantic dinner. Instead, Celia reveals that she no longer loves him and wants a divorce. Johnny’s confession—his habit and its cost—lands with a complicated honesty, yet Celia remains supportive, choosing to stand by him even as the emotional rift widens. John Sr. and Polo return, and Johnny tells his father that Polo’s $2,500 was spent on drugs for him. Enraged, John Sr. confronts Johnny, who is once again slipping into withdrawal, and then flees the apartment as Celia falls ill and is rushed to the hospital to protect the baby.
As the crisis unfolds, Polo steps forward, paying Mother $500 from selling his car to keep Johnny from spiraling further. Johnny returns the package of dope to Mother and declares his resolve to break free from the addiction. The family’s tense, fragile equilibrium is restored only when Celia and the police help guide Johnny toward the hospital, but the cost is high: trust has been damaged, and the shadow of addiction lingers over every victory and setback they experience together.
