A juvenile reform prison hires a psychologist, Dr. Essmat, to help in the reformation and rehabilitation of the girls in the prison. As he studies their cases and tries to find solutions for their problems, the compassionate Dr. Essmat is confronted with the numerous problems that led the girls to be imprisoned. When one of the girls claims that he raped her he finds himself in trouble with the prison administration, but when she reveals the truth the girls take a different view towards Dr. Essmat and try to help him achieve his goals in reforming them.
Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.
After a high-speed car chase, Madea winds up behind bars because her quick temper gets the best of her. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Josh Hardaway lands a case that's too personal to handle: that of a young prostitute and former drug addict named Candace, also a childhood friend. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.
A sailor falls for a gangster's moll, leaves his wife and finds himself caught up in a life of crime.
A bitter woman who thinks she'll never love again marries, only to fall for a brash young man.
A young couple marries in secret. Judy's afraid her parents won't approve of Dick and she'll lose her generous allowance. Her parents bring her home from the city where she's been studying art and encourage the attentions of Tom, a persistent suitor. Judy and her jealous husband have an argument that leads her back to the city, a drunken, amorous Tom and a tragedy.
A dance trophy winning young couple is temporarily split up when a playboy aviator leads the girl to believe he's in love with her.
A terminally ill woman and a debonair murderer facing execution meet and fall in love on a trans-Pacific crossing, each without knowing the other's secret.
Dao was life sentenced from the guilty of murder at first degree which changed her world upside down, once young bright graduate with prosperous future with her boyfriend turned to be a convict in Area 8.
A young man ruthlessly climbs the corporate ladder only to attempt suicide when the stock market crashes.
Buck is a hard working lumberjack, but likes to have fun. Buck's father is the foreman and wants Buck to take over when he retires. Buck is in love with Honey, a show-girl on the carnival boat, but she won't live in a lumberjack camp.
A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.
A crusader tries to keep a dope dealer from corrupting children.
When Polly Fisher, a circus aerialist, is hurt while performing, she is taken to the house of a nearby minister, John Hartley. As she recuperates, they fall in love with each other and secretly marry. But when the truth leaks out , John's congregation rebels at having a circus woman as their minister's wife, and he is fired. Polly decides to leave John in hopes of giving back to him the calling that means so much to him. But fate steps in and rearranges all plans.
A shoplifter gets sentenced to a women's prison.
William Foster is a slick attorney who stays within the law, but specializes in representing crooks and shady characters. He's adept at keeping them out of jail, winning acquittals, and having decisions reversed, thus springing criminals out of prison. He is romantically involved with dancer Irene Manners, who is two-timing him, although she wants to marry him. She kills a man driving while out with her other man, Jack Defoe, who takes the blame. Unfortunately, a ring Foster had just given Irene is found at the crime scene. Foster ends up defending Jack, but when the ring is found, he thinks he is protecting Irene, so pleads guilty to jury tampering.
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.
Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.
The woman prison has a cast all with a story of their own and with no dull or routine day. There is an employee who is divorced after her husband had an affair. She loves the jailed criminals and almost sees them as family. One day at a workshop someone faints while working hard to make money because she has a poor boyfriend. Another inmate is knocked up Another is a mother and has her child with her.