In a once predominantly Jewish-Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, near the Coney Island boardwalk, many residents are moving away because of the rise in crime. However, David and Becky Rosen, an elderly couple nearing their fiftieth wedding anniversary, have no intention of leaving. Although their friends, the Friedmans, are robbed at home one night while sleeping, the Rosens are not intimidated by the youth gangs that roam the streets, and David even tries to help a boy named Peppy, who stole from him. The Rosens’ divorced daughter, Florence Cohen, and two married sons, Leo and Eli, work at David’s cafeteria in Brooklyn, where business has slowed. Florence encourages her father to raise menu prices, but David refuses. Meanwhile, Florence accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Charley, which upsets her son, Peter, an aspiring rock musician. At Florence’s small civil wedding ceremony, Peter fails to attend and, afterward, his grandfather criticizes his selfish behavior. Although Peter believes his mother does not understand him, his grandfather convinces him to apologize. After feeling pains in her side and visiting a fortune-teller, who foresees a grave health issue, Becky consults her long-time physician, Dr. Rothbart, who diagnoses her with terminal cancer. While keeping the news from her husband, Becky remains determined to survive until their fiftieth wedding anniversary. During a family dinner at his grandparents’ home, Peter arrives unexpectedly with his girl friend, Marilyn, and introduces her to everyone for the first time. When Peter reveals they are living together, Florence is furious that her son did not inform her sooner. While Becky is home alone one day, a gang, known as the “Satans,” breaks into the house through the basement. Terrified, Becky locks herself in the kitchen and telephones the police. David catches the hoodlums scurrying out the basement window and kicks the leader, Strut, in the face. Strut threatens to take revenge on the old man. After the incident, David considers moving, but Becky reminds him they are safe as long as they have each other. Later, at the cafeteria, the Satans throw a firebomb into the restaurant, causing a small blaze and smoke. No one is injured, but Florence is shaken and David instructs his sons to close early. Upon learning about Becky’s illness from Dr. Rothbart, David begins to pray regularly at the synagogue, asking that his wife not suffer any pain. In exchange, he offers his services to God, cleaning the benches and dusting the altar. Meanwhile, at home, the couple continue their routine and pastimes, such as reading Playboy magazine together in bed. Later, at the cafeteria, David announces to his children that he plans to shut down the restaurant in a week and sell the place. Leo and Eli are disappointed that their father did not consult them first, since the cafeteria is their livelihood, but they respect his wishes. Meanwhile, Peter and his band get a weeklong booking at a famous nightclub, and during one performance, his grandparents watch proudly in the audience. Peter works in the recording studio one day when David arrives with news that Becky has been hospitalized. After awhile, Becky persuades the doctor to let her return home to die. During the anniversary party, David toasts to the next fifty years, then he and Becky waltz. As the guests join in the dancing, Becky becomes tired and sits down next to David on the couch. There, she is suddenly stricken by pain and dies. David is overcome with emotion as he holds her. While he prepares for the Judaic mourning known as Shiva, his new next-door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Bell, a young African-American couple, stop by to introduce themselves and use the telephone. David greets them warmly and is disappointed that Florence reacts to the Bells’ arrival in the neighborhood with prejudice. In the aftermath of Ruth’s passing, David spends most of his time alone, but soon Peter temporarily moves in following a break up with Marilyn, and David welcomes the company. David also treats himself to an elaborate train set and adopts a stray dog, whom he names Skippy. His children, meanwhile, arrange for him to meet a recently widowed woman named, Ruth. Although uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone other than Becky, David follows through with the date to please his children and is relieved that Ruth agreed to the evening for the same reason. While David struggles to adjust as a widower, the neighborhood gang violence escalates. Strut and his band of ruffians assault David underneath the boardwalk one day and threaten him with a knife, until they hear a police siren approach. After the incident, Mrs. Bell nurses the elderly man’s wounds and Mr. Bell comments that, to them, the neighborhood still feels like “paradise,” compared to the slum they knew previously. During another break-in at the Friedmans’ apartment, Sadie Friedman is severely beaten, and the couple commits suicide, writing in a letter that they can no longer live in fear. Despite the tragedies, David feels he is no longer afraid and embraces his lifelong job as a “survivor.” The hostility reaches a peak when the Satans vandalize David’s synagogue and home in the same day. Surveying the damage, David is enraged and goes to the boardwalk to confront Strut. The elderly man declares, “I left one country, I’m not about to leave another.” Surrounded by his gang, Strut pulls a knife, but it falls out of his hand as David grabs the hoodlum by the throat. The old man chokes Strut to death. Dumbfounded, the Satans run away.