Donna, a young nurse with a tragic history of sexual abuse from her youth in the 50's, worked in an ER of a Pittsburgh hospital. An elderly patient came for treatment of a possible overdose, and described to her how he lived at the Catholic Worker House. Intrigued by his description of the kind treatment available there to homeless alcoholics, she began to volunteer, and by the early 70's she had taken a job at the House. A troubled young poet showed up asking for help, and she found that his traumatic young life paralleled hers in a compelling way. She felt driven to help him, against seemingly impossible obstacles, and when they find themselves fighting the same enemy, they face a disaster that could destroy both of them.