Após ser responsabilizada pela misteriosa morte do namorado, Lucinda Price é mandada para o reformatório Sword & Cross, onde se aproxima de Daniel Grigori, sem saber que ele é um anjo apaixonado por ela há milênios. Ao mesmo tempo, Lucinda não consegue se afastar de Cam Briel, que também é um anjo e há tempos luta pelo seu amor. Por viver isolada do mundo exterior e assombrada por estranhas visões, ela começa a desvendar aos poucos os segredos de seu passado e descobre a verdadeira identidade dos anjos caídos, bem como o amor que nutriram por ela ao longo de séculos. Lucinda deve, então, fazer sua escolha.
Rocky (James Cagney) e Jerry (Pat O'Brien) são dois amigos de infância que viviam em um bairro barra-pesada de Nova York. Depois de crescidos, eles tomam rumos bem diferentes: Rocky se torna um famoso gângster e Jerry um padre engajado. As crianças da vizinhança idolatram o criminoso, mas perdem um pouco de respeito depois que ele cede aos pedidos de Jerry para não fazer uma execução. O caminho dos dois vai se cruzar, assim como seus interesses diversos.
Noruega, início do século 20. Na Ilha de Bastoy existe um reformatório para jovens delinquentes. No entanto, em vez de reabilitar os meninos, os guardas e o diretor abusam mental e fisicamente deles, os usando como mão de obra barata. Earling, de 17 anos, chega a instituição com um plano: escapar da ilha. Após um trágico incidente, ele lidera a rebelião dos meninos de Bastoy. Mas terá de descobrir: até onde ele está disposto a ir pela liberdade?
Members of a teenage gang are sent to the State Reformatory, presided over by the callous Thompson. Soon Patsy Gargan, a former gangster appointed Deputy Commissioner, arrives and takes over the administration to run the place on radical principles. Thompson needs a quick way to discredit him.
Father Flanagan raises funds, helps a disabled boy, and saves an older boy from reform school.
Stockholm in the 1920s. Young Roland lives with his socialist father, Jewish mother and a boxing brother. His mother sells condoms illegally, and from them, Roland makes slingshots which he sells. His rebellious ways has gotten him the special attention of his school teacher, who always makes sure that Roland is punished. Roland also tries to make extra money by repairing bicycles, a successful business that in the end lands him in hot water.
In the slums, teenager Frankie Warren hangs out with a rowdy gang who one day knock him out in a fight. In court, the boys refuse to reveal who struck the knockout blow, and all are subsequently sentenced to a reformatory, cruelly run by two corrupt guards. New deputy commissioner Mark Braden arrives determined to change things, but despite the help of Frankie's sister, Mark's reform plans -- and Frankie's future -- may be sabotaged from within.
A teen girl is thrown into reform school for refusing to squeal on her delinquent boyfriend where she ends up meeting his ex-girlfriend and the jealous tempers fly.
A paroled convict's efforts to improve conditions at a boys' reform school alarm the school's corrupt warden, who has been embezzling funds from the institution. He hatches a plan to derail the reformed convict's efforts and have him sent back to prison, and part of that scheme involves cracking down hard on the reform school's inmates.
High school students led by the Girl and Boy turn from Christianity toward secret atheistic meetings. When a girl is accidentally killed by a stairway collapse, the Girl and Boy go to reform school where they are treated brutally.
The story of two baby girls, born near in proximity but worlds apart in society: Molly Helmer, the daughter of a thief, and Florence Banning, the daughter of the judge who sent Molly's father to prison. The girls' lives come together as they reach the age of eighteen, when Florence leaves the security of the exclusive Girls Select School, and Molly, now orphaned, begins her life after reform school.
A teen, who is always in trouble in school and has been sent to reform school, turns her life around when a counselor discovers she is dyslexic.
In the closed community of a reform school for teenagers, the principal's daughter is found sexually molested. The schoolgirls seem to know more than they are willing to tell.
Jackie lives in poverty with his widowed mother. In a bid to escape poverty he gets involved in a robbery that sees him sentenced to three years in Borstal where he meets a tough crowd, tougher than anything on the outside.
The East Side Kids discover that one of their own, Danny, is torn between staying and school and becoming a boxer, and is getting mixed up with gangsters.
Mazie, a poor orphan girl, is mistreated by cruel farmer Slag and his wife for whom she works. Mazie, who is growing into a woman, does not like they way Slag has been looking at her lately.
Reform school teacher tries to carry his class to the right path by teaching them diving.
Willie, a likeable kid, forms a friendship with Rikki, a new arrival at the reform school. Willie discovers that Rikki is maybe tough enough to take on Karl, the kingpin. Although Rikki is strong, he does not like to fight, but tensions mount as Karl's bullying become more obnoxious. After being shown up by Willie, Karl loses his temper and gives Willie a thrashing. As a result, Willie joins with some other boys in an escape. They steal a car, get drunk, and have a serious accident. Meanwhile Rikki is in hospital, injured in a forestry "accident' engineered by Karl.