In New York City, off-duty firefighter, Terry Lynch, drinks at a bar with his brother, Jimmy. When a young neighborhood boy runs inside exclaiming there is a fire in his building, Terry rushes to rescue the boy’s little sister. Firemen arrive on the scene, and the spray from their powerful hose knocks Terry through a window and he falls several stories to the ground with the little girl in his arms. Six-months later, Terry is still recovering in the hospital, and Jimmy Lynch worries that his brother continues to suffer nightmares from the ordeal. The city refuses to pay Terry’s pension and medical bills claiming his injuries were the result of being intoxicated. Jimmy goes to the Mayor’s office to fight for his brother. Finding Mayor Tyler being hounded by reporters, Jimmy uses the opportunity to approach him. However, hearing that Terry Lynch had been drinking during the incident, the Mayor is unsympathetic. In defiance, Jimmy covers the walls of the Mayor’s office with letters of support for Terry. Detective Ryan, the Mayor’s right-hand man, is ordered to find the culprit. Sometime later, Terry tells Jimmy that he thinks about killing himself. Detective Ryan arrests Terry for posting the letters in the Mayor’s office. When Jimmy goes to the station to post bail for his brother, he meets Danny Boudreau, a social services intern assigned to Terry’s case. Jimmy is rude to the young woman because he distrusts social workers, having encountered several throughout his life after his parents died and he was left in his brother’s care. Jimmy is alerted that Terry attempted suicide and was hospitalized. He rushes to confront the Mayor again at a public event. After being ignored for the second time, he plots revenge. Danny tells Jimmy that if he confesses to the Mayor’s office prank, the charges against his brother will be dropped, and Jimmy finally realizes that Danny is an ally. At a ceremony to “Polish the Apple” and clean up the city, Jimmy embarrasses the Mayor by covering a subway car with graffiti. He signs it, “Turk 182!” his brother’s nickname and firehouse number, and gets talked about on the news. Jimmy continues leaving “Turk 182!” messages around the city and becomes a legend. Detective Kowalski makes catching the mystery vandal his number one priority. In time, Jimmy asks his friend, “Jockamo,” for help with a large-scale prank, and takes Danny on a date to a football game, where Mayor Tyler is in attendance. With Jockamo’s help, Jimmy rigs the scoreboard to flash “Turk 182!” and the stadium goes wild. Danny cheers along with the crowd, unaware that Jimmy is responsible for the stunt. Back at Jimmy’s house, Danny sees a trophy with Terry’s nickname “Turk” etched on it, and realizes Jimmy is behind the pranks. She has sex with Jimmy and tells him he could be elected Mayor with his newfound popularity. Jimmy insists she keep his secret. Danny and Jimmy visit Terry in the hospital, and Terry hints he still plans to kill himself. Detectives begin to suspect Jimmy of the vandalism, and they question Terry. Terry is defiant, and with no evidence, the detectives leave. Danny convinces Jimmy to reveal his identity and tell his story to a reporter. However, when Jimmy sees the news broadcast about his story, he is upset that his interview was not included in the report, and that the details of his motivations were incorrect. He sets off to create a final act of rebellion. During the lighting of a sign on the Queensboro Bridge attended by the Mayor, Jimmy climbs to the top of the bridge and slowly rigs the lights to spell “Turk 182!” News quickly spreads, and Jimmy’s interview is finally played on television. Terry and Danny watch as Jimmy tells Terry’s story, fighting for the pension he deserves. Escorted by Detective Kowalski, who offers his support, Terry goes to lure Jimmy down from the bridge. Mayor Tyler’s right-hand man, Detective Ryan, is angered when he is unable to stop Jimmy, and rides a cherry picker to the top of the bridge shooting at Jimmy who dangles from a rope. The crowd is stunned when Ryan defies orders from Detective Kowalski and continues shooting at Jimmy, and they cheer whenever he misses. Jimmy finally spells out “Turk 182!” and even the Mayor cheers.