AllMovie

When their parents die, Bruno's fourteen-year old sister Irene is in danger of being sent to a state orphanage, despite the fact that Bruno is twenty-four years old and legally able to act as her guardian. Perhaps the fact that he has no visible means of support is a major factor. Rather than hand her over to the tender mercies of the state, the two of them run off together and support themselves through a life of petty thievery. Bruno is a diabetic who has been growing progressively sicker, and though various odd types come into and out of their lives, in the end it is Irene who takes care of her brother rather than the other way round.