After being abused by her stepfather, “Cookie” and her younger brother, Tim, take a bus to New York City. When they arrive at the terminal, Cookie telephones her intoxicated mother and pleads to come home. As Cookie cries, a pimp named Duke approaches, and offers to buy her a sandwich. In time, Cookie becomes a prostitute. After dressing for a night of work, she greets Duke on the street and gives him his share of the money she has earned. She kisses and professes her love for him, naively treating him as her boyfriend. Later, Duke roughs up a prostitute named Heather, who lives with Cookie and Tim. Elsewhere, Cookie brings groceries home for Tim, and he criticizes her relationship with Duke. Heather returns and packs a suitcase, telling Cookie to wise up about Duke. While Cookie is with a customer, Duke enters her apartment and beats Heather for attempting to leave town. Tim worries about Cookie after hearing Heather’s screams from outside the building. Cookie comes home to find Duke waiting for her, and she has sex with him, while Heather lies unconscious in another room. When Cookie discovers her battered friend, she calls for Duke’s help, but he refuses and Cookie realizes he is the culprit. She slaps Duke, and he hits her back until she calms down, pretending to be okay with his actions. After he leaves, Cookie takes Heather to the hospital. Later, she meets with a pimp named Jason and accepts his offer to work for him, telling him that she fears Duke. Jason takes Cookie to a nightclub to find Duke and lure him outside. In the alley, Jason’s men kidnap Duke at gunpoint, and drive away with him. However, Duke fights his attackers, shooting one, and beating the other, then steals their vehicle. Meanwhile, Tim tells Cookie he is afraid to go home, and opts to walk the streets while his sister “works.” Cookie tells her friend, “Queen Bee,” she is going to work for Jason, and Queen Bee, a seasoned prostitute, tells her she should work for herself, as Queen Bee does. Duke returns to Cookie’s apartment and smashes up the place. He takes a gun and drives around with his pal, “Creepy,” searching for Cookie. Elsewhere, Jason finds his two dead henchmen. After Cookie finishes her work for the night, she picks up Tim at a movie theater and takes him to play cards at a bar with her friends, "Star" and Queen Bee. Duke asks a pimp named "Finesse" about Cookie’s whereabouts, and although the man insists he does not know, Duke slits his throat. Tim goes to a grocery store, and is spotted by Duke. At the bar, Cookie calls the hospital and learns that Heather has died. Duke chases Tim and kidnaps the boy, then finds Cookie at the bar, and tells her Tim is dead. Duke professes his love for Cookie, and puts one bullet in the chamber, firing the gun, “Russian roulette” style, at her head. Jason arrives, and a gunfight ensues. As Jason strangles Duke, Duke stabs him in the chest, and goes after Cookie, who hides from him in a storeroom. When Cookie smashes a bottle over Duke’s head, he beats her. Meanwhile, Queen Bee gets hold of a gun, and shoots at Duke. Tim arrives, unharmed, and he and Queen Bee chase Duke into the streets. After getting into an automobile, they run Duke over several times, but when the vehicle stalls, Duke attacks, smashing the windshield. Cookie appears, firing a shot at Duke. Duke walks toward her and as he pulls out a knife, Cookie shoots him dead. As the sun rises, she embraces Tim.