In an impoverished African American neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Charlie Banks seeks a job at an employment office. As he reads postings and fills out an application, an employment office staffer takes down the listings and closes the agency for the day. Disheartened, Charlie walks home through a train yard and sits on the tracks. Back at his house, Charlie finds his young daughter cooking for her two siblings, while their mother, Andais, lies in bed. Exhausted from her day at work, Andais asks Charlie about the children and he reassures her they are fine. Later, Charlie drinks alcohol with a group of penniless men, and they scheme up ways to earn money, including theft. However, Charlie has faith that God will watch over him and his family. He attempts to seduce Andais that night, but she does not respond. The next morning, Andais tells her daughter that marriage and family life did not live up to her expectations, and orders the children to clean the kitchen. When she encourages Charlie to search for work, he yells at his son, and Andais warns him against taking his frustrations out on the children. On Sunday, Andais dresses the three children for church and gives Charlie several coins for the collection plate before they leave. He finds work, clearing brush from a field, and removes graffiti from a house on another day. Pleased with his newfound employment, Charlie brings ice cream home for the children. In time, Charlie rekindles a romantic affair with Rose, his former lover, and Andais talks about his infidelity to a friend at a laundromat. As the women console each other, Andais’s friend announces her intent to spark an affair of her own. Back home, Andais counts Charlie’s wages and notes that he is $50 short. Charlie claims he is not able to find work each day, but Andais is not convinced. She later yells at him for neglecting his family responsibilities. When Charlie seeks solace at Rose’s house, she orders him to take care of her children. Unwilling to take on another financial burden, Charlie returns to Andais and finally admits to the affair. He promises his wife that he is not in love with Rose, but Andais sobs that she is too tired to keep dreaming his dream, and Charlie vows to be a better provider. After spending the night on the sofa, Charlie hits the street again looking for work, and asks a barber how to earn a living. The old man replies that men must learn skills and make sacrifices to succeed. At home, Charlie searches for his fishing pole and Andais helps him find it. Sometime later, he returns from a fishing trip to find his daughter with a broken arm. He blames himself for her injury and sobs that she would never have been hurt if they lived in a better neighborhood. Andais comforts her husband with an embrace. Later, Charlie sits in a car, drinking beer and letting his friends sell his fish on the roadside. As the men hustle sales, Charlie turns his back on the operation and walks away through a vacant lot.