Hurricane Streets

Marcus Frederick grows up in Manhattan's Lower East Side with his grandmother Lucy, who runs the bar Lucy's. He and his four friends—Chip, Benny, Louis, and Harold—spend their days stealing and hanging out in a rough underground clubhouse near the waterfront. His mother Joanna has spent nine years in prison for a crime she claims she didn't fully understand, and his father is believed dead in a car accident.

Marcus meets 14-year-old Melena while selling stolen merchandise to kids. She gives him her ski mask as a gift and declines his invitation to attend his fifteenth birthday party because her father Paco disapproves.

The next morning Marcus finds a flight ticket to New Mexico in the mail and shares the news with Lucy. The ticket was sent by Mack, a bar regular who believes Marcus should leave the city.

Marcus, Benny, and Louis meet Justin and Shane, Chip's drug-dealing friends from Miami. He tells Melena about his NM plan and asks her to join him, but she declines again.

Marcus is hauled to the police station for continuing to sell stolen goods and learns from Detective Hank that his mother is actually in prison for murder, not smuggling. The revelation shakes his trust in what he’s been told.

Marcus visits Joanna in prison, and she explains her abusive husband and how Marcus’s father hurt her. She reveals her parole hearing isn’t for four more years but promises they will go to New Mexico once she is out.

The group schemes to break into a policeman’s apartment for valuables, but Marcus refuses to participate after his run-in with the police. He chooses not to escalate their criminal activity.

Paco drives to the clubhouse, finds the pair, and disciplines Melena before leaving with her. The fear over the father’s anger pushes Marcus toward drastic actions.

Marcus and Melena run away and camp out in a tent, planning to meet at Penn Station at noon the next day to catch the train to New Mexico. They intend to gather funds from the group’s stolen loot to finance their escape.

Back at the clubhouse, Harold shoots a dartboard to show off, but Paco is accidentally hit and dies as his body falls from a closet. The group is stunned by the sudden tragedy.

Marcus takes Paco’s tow truck keys and uses the crane to lift Paco’s body into a shallow grave, driven by fear of law enforcement and what Benny might report.

On the day they were meant to leave, Marcus discovers his stash and the robbery loot are missing. Justin, Shane, and Chip confront him, and Marcus is beaten as the truth about who stole the money comes to light.

The authorities tighten their grip: Benny reports Paco’s murder and Lucy is questioned, leading to Chip’s arrest as the rest scramble to cover their tracks. Marcus then robs a convenience store to fund his escape and avoid capture.

Marcus and Melena board the train at Penn Station, leaving New York behind. Melena remains unaware that her father is dead, and Marcus silently contemplates the dangerous road ahead.