Paper Bullets

Rita witnesses her gangster father gunned down in front of her on a city street, an event that shadows her for years. The trauma drives her into an orphanage where she befriends two others who will shape her future: Mickey Roma and Bob Elliott. This tragedy sets the tone for her suspicion and hardened outlook.

Inside the orphanage, Rita's close friendships with Mickey and Bob anchor her during rough times. They become her first surrogate family as she grows up in a harsh environment. These bonds foreshadow her later turn to crime for protection and revenge.

As a young adult, Rita shares a home with singer Donna while dating Harold De Witt, the son of a powerful man named Clarence. Harold's volatile behavior and his father's influence create a tenuous life for Rita. When she loses a factory job because she cannot get bonded, Bob, now an aerospace engineer, offers to try to help.

Late one night, Harold drives Rita home and kills a pedestrian in a hit-and-run. Following his father's lawyer's advice, Rita is pressured to claim responsibility so he avoids disinheritance, and she receives a sentence of one to five years.

Rita is released from prison and learns from Mickey, now in organized crime, how Harold betrayed her. With the betrayal fresh, she begins to drift into crime herself, robbing gullible men to survive and seek revenge. Her new path is fueled by a sense of injustice and vengeance.

Clarence De Witt campaigns to crack down on organized crime, launching a reform ticket. The political move heightens tensions between reformers and criminals and reshapes Rita's path through the city. The brewing conflict provides the backdrop for her ascent in the underworld.

Jimmy Kelly is undercover in the gang as Bill Dugan, collecting protection money for racketeer Kurt Parrish. Parrish complains that receipts are down because of DeWitt's reform efforts. These lines set the stage for Rita's entry into Parrish's syndicate.

Mickey asks Rita to return the letters in Harold's file that prove his guilt, but Rita pursues revenge and buys radio time to denounce DeWitt's hypocrisy. Her broadcast draws attention and leads to a meeting with Parrish and mobster Lou Wood, where she negotiates a place for herself in the syndicate.

Rita visits DeWitt with photocopies of the letters and rejects his money offer, forcing him to use his political influence for the syndicate's benefit. Jimmy observes that Parrish is using votes as a tool to gain control.

Mickey learns that the real Dugan is in prison, and Parrish's men abduct Jimmy, triggering a police chase that ends in a crash. Joe persuades newspapers to publish a false report that Jimmy was killed, devastating Donna who has fallen in love with him.

Rita quits the syndicate to marry Bob. Immediately after the wedding, she is arrested and indicted along with Parrish, Wood, and DeWitt.

During the trial, Jimmy unexpectedly takes the stand, shocking the courtroom. All four defendants are convicted, and Bob comforts Rita, promising to wait for her.

As a monument to innocence, children play on a playground Rita built. The scene closes the film by underscoring the loss and the hope that youth can endure beyond corruption.