Two childhood friends grow up and go their separate ways, one eventually becoming a criminal and the other a parish priest. Years later they are reunited, with unexpected results.
A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young waitress Gabby Maple, and a handful of others hostage.
A World War I veteran (Cagney) returns to New York, innocently becomes involved in bootlegging, builds up an empire and dies in a gang war. Set against a background of newsreel-like montages and narration.