Noah Cassidy, a former Baltimore prosecuting attorney, chances upon the scene of a street killing. The police immediately label the crime - seemingly the random knifing of a young panhandler - as a "nothing case."

Cassidy is approached by another panhandler who fears that the police, anxious for a quick resolution to the crime, will target him as the killer. Cassidy agrees to take the case and together they work to uncover the truth.

It is quickly determined that the victim was a college student posing as a panhandler while studying the perilous conditions endured by those living on the streets of Baltimore. Still, a city homicide lieutenant schemes to abruptly close the case, insuring that the killer will remain free.

Cassidy, convinced that the young man's murder was not a random street crime, presses ahead utilizing the one resource available to him - Baltimore's Street People.