A young Irishman enters the US illegally with his wayward friend Seamus. Landing in New York the pair start out with dreams of striking it rich but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get-rich schemes, the more cautious Patrick finds himself devoting time to looking after Tom, an Irish author down on his luck, and courting Helen a struggling actress caught in sordid relationship with a much older man.