An actual drama of a polio outbreak in Chicago. One of the first victims is a young boy named Miguel Rico, who received only one shot of the three shots of the Salk vaccine. His father, Tomas, is convinced that he contracted polio from the vaccine. He is influential in his community and warns parents against the shots. Dr. Herman Bundesen, president of the Chicago Board of Health, decides to run the risks of administering shots in the middle of the polio season. Few are willing to take the shots. Mrs. Rico is afraid Angelina, their daughter, is coming down with the disease and convinces her husband that Miguel died because he received only one of the three shots and that Angelina should be treated.

A shy librarian befriends a hobo who comes to the library one wintry day. Though they are of vastly different backgrounds, they share the common bond of loneliness.