Young Blood

1967-68 Chicago, a tumultuous time of division and change. 11-year-old Danny is sent away to a Catholic orphanage in the city by his divorcing suburban parents, a stopgap measure till they can get their lives in order. There he meets Curtis, an African American boy from the rough and tumble West Side whose parents abandoned him long ago. Though the sum of their lives couldn't be more different, the boys discover they have much in common, aligned against the nuns' oppressive authority and racist classmate, Ray. A ladies man and cottage powerbroker, Ray resents Danny's growing relationship with Curtis and pressures the new boy to succumb to his control. Curtis, once under Ray's thumb himself, comes to Danny's aid, the two fighting to break Ray's stranglehold. Along the way they find an ally in Michelle, another rebel and classmate from across the yard. After Ray's foiled attempt at bedding Danny lands him in the hospital with a case of penile dysfunction -- rat traps will do that -- the three conspire to run away. Danny and Curtis get caught in Michelle's cottage late one night planning the scheme and the three are forbidden from seeing each other. Knowing they don't have much time until Ray's return, they work under the radar, planning for a trip to the California paradise of their dreams. But Ray returns just as they're set to leave and only a full blown kitchen battle -- Michelle's girls against Ray and his boys -- saves the three... ...sending them on their way to one of Michelle's friends on the out. But the safe house isn't safe and the three are forced to flee, Michelle sacrificing herself to let the boys escape. Danny and Curtis take refuge on the West Side, Curtis' uncle setting them up in a tenement with one of his addicted ladies of the night. Having lost everything and not wanting to stay any longer than they have to, the boys hustle shining shoes...when they learn the police are looking for them, adding more pressure to leave town. Then the gates of hell open...Martin Luther King is assassinated. The West Side implodes, rioting and looting endangering the boys' lives and sending them prematurely to the Greyhound station. A ticket agent recognizes the boys and rips off the little they have, forcing them to flee security and police, and return to the nightmare landscape of the West Side. Police discover the boys at a scene of looting and give chase, Danny and Curtis taking refuge in a war zone alley. The authorities block off the exits and Danny's parents, who've reunited to search for him, join the police in demanding they give up. The boys refuse, Curtis leading Danny in a dance to "Tighten Up" on the transistor and wielding bravado in the form of a water gun. The police react, gunning down Curtis. Danny rescues the radio and their song, helping a gravely wounded Curtis to his feet against the hellish backdrop, the two boys witnesses to the death of their innocence and the country's.