Fighting Father Dunne

Renovations begin on the News Boys' Home in St. Louis. Fred Carver asks that the sidewalk slab containing two sets of footprints—his boyhood print and Father Dunne's—be preserved. He then recounts the priest's story and the founding of the building as work proceeds.

Tony and Jimmy tell Dunne about their sick friend living in a cardboard box, and Dunne takes action. He brings the boys to his sister Kate's house where she and her husband Emmett agree to shelter them temporarily until a permanent solution can be found.

Dunne visits Archbishop John Joseph Glennon to outline his plan for a home for newsboys and other street children. The Archbishop pledges support but makes clear the diocese cannot contribute money. Undaunted, Dunne starts persuading local businesspeople to donate materials and funds, and he rents a run-down townhouse to begin renovations.

Dunne enlists attorney Thomas Lee to negotiate on behalf of the project and provide free legal counsel. Local businesses donate materials for the refurbishment, and the townhouse renovation gathers momentum. The early work lays the groundwork for a larger, permanent home.

As the house improves, more troubled youths arrive seeking shelter and guidance. Dunne provides food and care, and begins mentoring especially Matt Davis, a boy scarred by abuse. The home becomes a stabilizing force for them.

The older delivery boys bully the younger ones, challenging Dunne's authority. Matt organizes the boys to stand together, but violence escalates and a horse loaned for deliveries is killed, while Jimmy is crushed beneath a wagon. Matt flees the home in shame.

Dunne convinces Michael O'Donnell, the paper owner who lent the company a horse, to threaten eviction of the newspaper if the violence continues. The tactic pressures the older delivery boys, and the newspaper relents, offering support to the youths instead. The immediate threat helps avert further violence.

With the threat resolved, Dunne focuses on fundraising for a larger, permanent home. O'Donnell and Lee help form a board of directors to oversee the drive. The new home is eventually built and opened to house the growing numbers of youths.

Matt arrives at the home seeking help after fleeing from a robbery and confrontation with the police. Dunne agrees to help but urges him to turn himself in, hoping to face responsibility. Before any surrender, they are interrupted by a police officer, and Matt—mistaking him for his drunk father—shoots and kills the officer.

Matt surrenders to authorities and is sentenced to death. Dunne intercedes with the governor in an appeal for clemency, but the execution proceeds. The tragedy weighs heavily on Dunne and the remaining boys.

After the execution, Father Dunne returns to the News Boys' Home and finds solace in the boys who have looked to him as their savior. They await him and signal the ongoing impact of his work. His mission to rescue street children remains a beacon for them.

The building stands as a lasting symbol of Dunne's work and the protection he offered to countless youths. Carver's preserved footprint slab acts as a tangible reminder of the history shared by the priest and the community. The story closes with a sense of hope and remembrance for the children he saved.