The Emersons are a theatrical family, of sorts - one son Samuel,17, is a street performer who recites Shakespeare while his brother Beckett, 19, picks pockets in the crowd. Their father Warrn, a has-been thespian, spends the take on booze and ponies. But Samuel wants to make like his comic book hero 'The Cardinal Comet' and split. And a visit from a murderous loan shark gives Samuel a chance at freedom -- but at a high price...