A young paramedic named Ollie Cross (played by Tye Sheridan) decides to partner up his first year on the job with an experienced medic named Rutkovsky (Sean Penn). The older of the two will show the young apprentice what happens on the streets of New York. Such is the harshness of reality that Ollie will have to learn to bear it. The boy’s perspective on life and death will change due to widespread homelessness, habitual drug use, and the city’s high crime rate.