In Oakland, California, a man named Roary saunters into a high-rise building, takes an elevator to the tenth floor, and jumps out the window. However, his suicide attempt is thwarted by trees and a woman’s parked car. After convalescing at a hospital, Roary is discharged with an awkward limp and moves into a disheveled halfway house. One day, Roary discovers “Max’s Bar,” where a group of disabled comrades habitually play cards, and he returns the next day to befriend the regulars. Jerry Maxwell, a basketball virtuoso moonlighting as a bartender, introduces Roary to the gang, including “Stinky,” who is blind; “Wings,” a double-amputee with hooks for hands; and the wheelchair-bound “Blue Lewis.” When the men inquire about Roary’s injury, he admits to the attempted suicide and Stinky counters with humor, stating that Roary’s logic is backwards: people usually become crippled first, then commit suicide. As the men chuckle, Jerry’s girl friend, Ann, appears at the bar and Roary learns that the young woman works as a prostitute to support her heroin addiction. When Ann leaves, Jerry invites Roary to attend a Golden State Warriors’ basketball game that evening. There, Jerry annoys the team members by “coaching” them from the sidelines, but the Warriors lose by one point because star player Alvin Martin fails to shoot in the last two seconds of the game. Outraged, Jerry challenges Alvin to a one-on-one game the following day and Alvin agrees. Although Jerry outmaneuvers his opponent, he is hindered by his injured knee and loses by one point. Still, Jerry and Roary celebrate the close match. When Roary wonders aloud if there is a treatment for his friend’s handicap, Jerry replies that surgeries have never been successful and he does not have enough money to pay for further treatment. Returning home, Jerry finds Ann bullied by two clients, who threaten him at knifepoint. When Roary surprises the criminals from behind, they run away. Despite Jerry’s love for the girl, he asks her to leave for good. Sometime later, bar owner, Max, suffers a heart attack and Roary visits him in the hospital. There, Jerry reveals that Max owes $11,000 to keep the tavern open, but the old man refuses to give up his establishment because it is a second home to disadvantaged members of the community. Roary offers to contribute his $10,000 trust fund and suggests that he and Jerry go into partnership. Learning of Roary’s wealth, Jerry begs his friend to pay for his knee operation, but Roary insists the bar take precedence because it is “family.” He convinces Jerry their business partnership will ultimately be lucrative enough to pay for his surgery. Reviving Max’s Bar, Roary adds a food menu and hires a pretty barmaid named Louise as Max slowly recovers. Still, Jerry is increasingly frustrated about his injury and his failure to fulfill his potential. Although he bemoans wasting thousands of dollars on Ann, she soon returns from San Francisco and they rekindle their romance. Sometime later, at Max’s Bar, Ann’s pimp, Lucius, arrives to recover a ring Ann stole. He threatens to murder Jerry if the ring is not returned. That night, Ann informs Jerry that she must reunite with Lucius to support her addiction. The pimp’s henchmen beat Jerry as Ann leaves. When Jerry is late to work the following evening, Roary finds his friend clinging to life. Jerry slowly recuperates and Roary encourages his friend to become a professional basketball player, but Jerry gives up hope. In response, Jerry’s cohorts from Max’s Bar drive to Alvin Martin’s mansion, and the basketball star agrees to loan money for Jerry’s operation. When Jerry refuses, Alvin insists the money represents “curiosity,” not charity, because Jerry may prove to be a professional player after all. Sometime later, Jerry leaves his friends for surgery at Stanford University, but fails to return. Months later, on Christmas day, the Max’s Bar gang throws a welcome home party for Jerry, but he slips away undetected after watching his friends from afar. Meanwhile, Roary and Louise dance cheek-to-cheek. When a bartender holds mistletoe over their heads, they kiss and the crowd cheers. As the party disbands, Roary receives a telephone call from Jerry, who invites him to an upscale tavern. There, Jerry announces his acceptance to a semi-professional basketball team but stipulates that the bar regulars are not invited to his first game. Back at Max’s, Jerry’s disabled friends are offended by the slight, but Roary and Louise join Alvin at the game, and Jerry leads the team to victory. Afterward, Roary escorts Louise home and they kiss. Although Louise declares her love for Roary, she insists they remain friends because his disability may provoke sexual difficulties, and she does not want to hurt him. Roary shrugs off the rejection, but still harbors affection for the girl. Later, at the bar, the regulars watch a television interview with Jerry, who has finally been accepted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the coming days, Roary shaves his beard and demonstrates his physical improvements to court Louise, but she admits to a secret relationship with Jerry. Betrayed by his closest friends, Roary returns to the building he jumped from, but refrains from a second suicide attempt, and instead confronts Jerry as he practices for his first NBA game the following evening. Noting Jerry’s selfishness and his failure to inquire about his own injury, Roary confesses that he tried to kill himself because he had no ambition. He now realizes he has infinitely more integrity than Jerry, who remains crippled by his own ego. That night, Louise visits Roary to announce the end of her relationship with Jerry and reveals her desire to become Roary’s lover. The next day, Jerry finally returns to Max’s Bar. He admits to being afraid of his friends’ disabilities, but now realizes he is the only “real cripple” among them. Fearing a lack of support, Jerry decides to opt out of his first NBA game that evening. However, the bar regulars encourage Jerry to follow his dream. That night, Max, who has recovered from his heart attack, decides to close the bar for the first time in twenty-five years so the comrades can attend Jerry’s game. Before they leave, Roary sees Ann on the street, still working as a prostitute and high on heroin. She begs Roary for money and insists Jerry will never succeed. At the game, Roary notices the arrival of Ann’s pimp, Lucius, and obstructs the pimp’s path down the stadium stairs. Lucius topples over, cowers in pain, and endures an injury of his own. Noticing the commotion, Jerry looks up from the court and makes eye contact Roary. The reunited friends lift their fists in solidarity.