Gloria

In the South Bronx, Jeri Dawn returns home with groceries and passes a man whose dress and appearance are out of place in the lobby. Startled, she quickly boards the elevator to head upstairs. The moment hints at the danger looming over her family.

Inside their apartment, Jack Dawn reveals he has been an informant for the FBI and that a contract has been placed on his family. The revelation raises the stakes and signals imminent peril for everyone in the building. The tension sets the stage for the arrival of Gloria.

Gloria Swenson rings the Dawns' door asking to borrow coffee. Jeri warns that an impending hit targets the family and begs Gloria to protect the children. Gloria, a former mobster’s girlfriend, reluctantly agrees to help.

Joan locks herself in the bathroom as the family tries to reach her. Gloria takes the Dawns’ young son Phil and the incriminating ledger to her own apartment. A gun-armed hit squad arrives, and the family narrowly escapes the attack.

Loud shotgun blasts from the Dawns' apartment spook Gloria into action. She and Phil leave the building just as police arrive with heavy weapons, and a crowd of onlookers records the moment.

Gloria and Phil hide out in an empty Manhattan apartment owned by a friend of Gloria's. The next morning, Phil notices his own photo on the front page of several newspapers, labeling him as Gloria's suspected abductor.

The following morning, news reports reveal the mob hit and name Gloria as Phil's suspected abductor. The public spotlight forces them to stay one step ahead of pursuers. Gloria realizes their futures are now deeply entwined.

As they attempt to slip away, a group of gangsters confront Gloria on the sidewalk, demanding Phil and the ledger. In a desperate move, Gloria fires at their car, flipping it and signaling that she will risk everything to survive. The danger drives them to flee again across the city.

Gloria goes to the bank to empty her safe deposit box of the ledger. They then spend the night at a flophouse, trying to stay ahead of their pursuers. The ledger's value keeps attracting attention from multiple violent factions.

Gloria confronts another group of gangsters at a restaurant and asks for immunity in exchange for the ledger. They insist that only Tanzinni can approve immunity. She disarms them and escapes, continuing the chase.

The next day, Gloria tells Phil she plans to send him away to a boarding school because of the danger surrounding them. Phil resents the idea, insisting he can manage on his own. Gloria, torn by guilt, abandons him to go have a drink.

Phil is captured by wiseguys, and Gloria rushes to rescue him. She kills one mobster and escapes with Phil via taxi and the subway, aided by bystanders along the way. The pair's bond grows as they flee the relentless mob.

They reach a hotel room where Gloria laments the mob's reach and explains her past as Tanzinni's mistress. She meets Tanzinni, relinquishes the ledger, and flees as another shooter targets her elevator car. The sequence marks the last major confrontation before their escape.

Phil waits several hours after the confrontation, then boards a rail to Pittsburgh to disappear from the mob's reach. His flight underscores the cost of survival in this violent environment.

In a somber ending, Phil and Gloria reunite at a cemetery. Gloria arrives disguised as Phil's grandmother in a limousine, suggesting she would do anything to protect him and keep him alive.