After moving to the cold, hard streets of New York, Alabama boy Shawn MacArthur finds himself selling bootlegged gear on the sidewalk to make ends meet. However, when he holds his own in a street brawl with a dissatisfied customer, an opportunistic passer-by offers Shawn a way to ease his financial worries. Spotting his potential, conman Harvey Boarden introduces Shawn to the lucrative world of underground bare-knuckle boxing.