Artie Lewis (Michael Keaton) is a New York cop who believes in his work, loves his wife Rita (Rene Russo), and stands by his partner Stevie Diroma. Stevie is a single parent, and when Stevie is killed by Mickey Garrett during a hostage situation, Stevie's three daughters Marian, Barbara, and Carol are left with nowhere to go. Artie and Rita take them in and want to adopt them, but the Child Welfare Service decides that their apartment is too small for three children. Barbara is a diabetic who needs two insulin shots per day. Artie needs to buy a house so he and Rita will be able to adopt the girls, and the house he has chosen requires a $25,000 down payment that he doesn't have. Desperate, Artie grabs his gun and robs drug kingpin Beniamino Rios, who was, in a way, involved in Stevie's death. Artie uses most of the take to buy the house, and he gives the rest to Father Wills, who runs a local orphanage. But Beniamino's girlfriend Grace De Feliz turns out to be an undercover narcotics agent who decides to go after Artie...until Beniamino kidnaps Artie. Grace decides to help Artie.