- A former prisoner tries to save a neighbor youth from following him down the wrong path.
- In Los Angeles, the hot-tempered can-collector Socrates "Socco" Fortlow is an ex-con who has served a long sentence for killing a man and a woman. Now he is trying to build a new life and find a job, but he's discriminated against for his age, color, and background. His only friend, Right Burke, is dying of cancer. He also helps a young woman who is having problems with her husband. Then he meets a young boy named Darryl and finds that he lives with an uncaring foster family and has just witnessed the murder of another boy by a small-time criminal. Socco helps the boy to grow up while helping Burke and trying to find work at a supermarket.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- An ex-con moves to L.A. to find work and creates a disturbance by fighting for a position. More importantly he touches the lives of many of his neighbors, including an older man dying of cancer; a young husband whose pride won't let him accept a lesser position, which causes strife with his wife; and a young boy on the verge of getting in trouble with street gangs.—John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
- Aging ex-con Socrates Fortlow (Laurence Fishburne) (His mother named him Socrates as this was a wise man's name), after a long incarceration at the Indiana Correctional facility (for sexually assaulting a woman without her consent), is trying hard to make a new life and to accept the regrets of his past. The prison paid him $733 for 18 years of hard labor. He lives in LA and collects bottles and cans for a living as he is considered too old for any sort of hard labor. He tried to find work in different areas of LA in their supermarkets, but since he collected garbage, he was considered a bum and not taken seriously for any work. He travels outside LA county in the hope that their people won't recognize him, but only meets racism and obstruction due to his race and poverty. Socrates reminds the store managers that (as per the law) they cannot discriminate against him on the basis on his age. He forces them to give him a job application, (as per the law) when they say that there are no jobs at the store. One such store manager is Halley Grimes (Laurie Metcalf) who reluctantly gives Socrates a job application. Socrates says that he doesn't have a phone and demands that the background check is done physically at his address. Halley notes that Socrates lives too far away but he insists that he will travel to the store daily. Finally, Socrates says that he himself will come to the store regarding the status of his job application. He forces Halley to accept his application and forces her to send his job application to the company HQ.
Even the people who buy the cans from Socrates would treat him badly and give him no respect. At a local diner owned by his friend Iula Brown (Natalie Cole) he meets Wilfred (Isaiah Washington) who seems to have a bit of money in his pocket. But Wilfred is an African American and a thief. He dresses fine, so that after robbing the cars he can just walk away like a respectable man without the police stopping him. He tries to buy Socrates lunch, but Socrates tells him off. Iula tries to offer a job to Socrates at her diner, but Socrates would always turn her down politely.
Meanwhile, he meets a young boy named Darryl (Daniel Williams), who witnessed a boy murdered by a friend of his Philip (Jamaal Carter). Philip is an African American punk and involves Darryl in his petty crimes. Darryl is scared of Philip and spills the beans to Socrates when one day he feeds Darryl some breakfast. Socrates is angry at Darryl for not having helped the boy, but nonetheless informs the mother about the location of the body of her son, anonymously via a phone call.
Corina M'Shalla (Bridgid Coulter) is a nice mixed race young lady (voluptuous) and her husband Howard (Bill Nunn) is missing. Corina asks for Socrates help to find Howard. Howard was looking for a job for 9 months and now Corina is worried. She cries for help in front of Socrates. Socrates has feelings for Corina, but he respects her and promises her that he will find her husband. Turns out Howard was hiding in Socrates house the whole time. Howard is upset with Socrates for hitting on his wife, but Socrates tells Howard that if it is not him then someone else will. He tells Howard to return to Corina. eventually Howard finds a job and moves to a new house with Corina.
Howard returns home, but the next day tells Socrates that his girl Winnie (Brooke Marie Bridges) saw a thug Pegus (Kevin Carroll) kill another thug named Marlow (Sammi Rotibi). Now the white police are after Pegus. The African American elders of the community consult with Socrates on whether to give up Pegus to the police or to kill him themselves. Socrates confronts Pegus and tells him to leave the community by 6 PM.
Meanwhile Right Burke (Bill Cobbs) is Socrates good friend and a trusted member of the African American community. He is old and his health is failing. Socrates presses him to visit the doctor. The doctor suspects that Burke might be suffering from Cancer. Socrates uses $ 200 of Burke's money to get him some painkillers when the hospital refuses treatment to him for lack of insurance.
Meanwhile Philip finds out that Darryl ratted him out and bullies him. Socrates teaches Darryl to stand up for himself. Darryl fights Philip and forces him to flee. Socrates has been trying to get a job at a local grocery store, which is in the white area of LA. He keeps following up with Halley but is told that his application has been refused. He calls up the company HQ and finds that they have received no application under his name.
Socrates goes to the store again and this time is confronted by 2 security guards who are ex LAPD and know Socrates is an ex-con. He tells them he just needs a job. They set up him with a job in a store just 5 blocks down the road.
Socrates asks Corina and Howard to adopt Darryl, so he can have a better life.
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