Gangster Sonny is the big man in Calogero's Bronx neighborhood. A shooting witnessed by Calogero is the starting point of a lasting bond between the gangster and the small boy. Father (bus driver Lorenzo), however, disapproves. Calogero grows up under the wings of both men, torn between his own natural honesty and his fascination with Sonny. C's neighborhood cronies get involved in theft, use of guns, racial fights. When C meets girl, things don't become easier. C's leap to manhood is marked by tragedy, but also by his recognition of the many faces of love.