 While on patrol on Lower Manhattan on St. Patrick s Day, traffic cop Charlie Dunnigan spots a potential suicide on a ledge of a Broadway hotel. Because the young man vocalizes his dislike for the police, Dunnigan alters his uniform and establishes a rapport with him. When the police rescue squad arrives, Dunnigan returns to his street duties. Authorities identify the jumper as Robert Cosick but are unable to win his trust or discover the reason for his actions. Cosick demands that Dunnigan return as the swelling crowd and cynical reporters create a media circus in the streets. As the day wears on, psychiatrists, Cosick s dysfunctional parents, and his ex-fiancee all try to talk him off the ledge without success as the day gives way to an eerie night illuminated by floodlights.