Philadelphia-born Carl Upchurch (Epps) drops out of school at nine and into a life of crime that leads to various prison sentences. A man with a violent temper, he's no one to mess with but he also wants more from his life. This leads to his mentoring by Quaker prison instructor Martha (Delany) and Carl's goal to save other inner-city youth from a life of violence and imprisonment. Based on Upchurch's autobiography.