Kansas City in the 1930s: Private investigator Mike Murphy's partner is brutally slayed, when he tries to blackmail a mobster with his secret accounting records. Lieutenant Speer and his ex-colleague Mike Murphy team up again to fight the mob, although they can't stand each other: while Speer is taciturn, Murphy is a prattler.

At the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc. This movie follows eight students from the time when they audition to get into the school, through graduation. Among these are the brazen Coco Hernandez, shy Doris Finsecker, sensitive gay Montgomery MacNeil, and brash, abrasive Ralph Garcy.