Screen legends Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep star with Fred Gwynn and Tom Waits in this bittersweet story of haunting memories and the harsh realities of life on the streets. It's winter, 1938 in Albany, New York. The soup kitchens and flophouses are overflowing with homeless people seeking food and refuge from the unforgiving cold. Francis Phelan (Nicholson) wanders the streets, back in his hometown after 22 years, an aimless vagabond ready to confront the family he abandoned long ago. While sharing his whiskey with longtime pal Helen (Streep), Francis reveals the dark secrets of his past, the painful memories from which he once tried to escape but now must reconcile.