While 11-year-old Rafe Collins waits for his father, Eddie Ray, outside a public bathroom, a man gives him a suitcase to hold. The man goes into the bathroom, followed by another man who shoots him. The police arrest Rafe's father, assuming that he committed the murder. The killer tries to get the suitcase from Rafe, who discovers that it's full of money. After hiding it, Rafe gets captured by the police. Judge Roosevelt assigns Reggie Love to Rafe's case and appoints her as his guardian, allowing Rafe to stay in her house.

Reggie also harbors an abused woman whose husband, crime boss Burt Halliwell, owns a riverboat casino. Unbeknownst to Reggie, Rafe's money belongs to Halliwell, who tries to sway Foltrigg by appealing to his political goals. When Rafe retrieves the money and goes to the casino to get help from his father's friend, Reggie follows him.