annie rooney is a young girl who spends her days wreaking havoc in the tenements with a gang of children and their rival gang, the kid kellys. they fight in the streets, accidentally scaring a fruit vendor's horse in the process. annie's father is a respected neighborhood police officer, but her brother, tim, is a member of the big kellys, a gang of older boys led by joe kelly. the gang raises money for themselves by selling tickets to an upcoming dance.