The Herlihys are a working class family from Chicago whose three children take wildly divergent paths: Brian joins the Marines right out of High School and goes to Vietnam, Michael becomes involved in the civil rights movement and after campaigning for Bobby Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy becomes involved in radical politics, and Katie gets pregnant, moves to San Francisco and joins a hippie commune. Meanwhile, the Taylors are an African-American family living in the deep South. When Willie Taylor, a minister and civil rights organizer, is shot to death, his son Emmet moves to the city and eventually joins the Black Panthers, serving as a bodyguard for Fred Hampton.
Rosemary Holmstrom is struggling to bring up her son following the death of her husband. When she is diagnosed with AIDS, at first she refuses to believe it, but soon turns her attentions to the problem of what will happen to her son when she dies.
A fire breaks out on the 12th floor of the First Interstate Tower building in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Paul and Susan are working late on the 37th floor, along with cleaning staff, security, and building engineers, some of whom are installing sprinklers. The fire spreads rapidly and those in the building quickly become trapped.
A young single mother has to work late one night. Her daughter begs her to allow her to stay alone instead of going to a babysitter. The mother finally agrees. When the girl falls and is injured, police are called and she is taken to a hospital, the courts decide that the mother is unfit and take her daughter away. She must fight to all ends to get her back.
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
