A hard-luck chararacter named Charles arrives by ocean liner at the foot of the Embarcadero in mid-century San Francisco, after his tour of duty in Korea and Japan. Charles' adventures in the old working-class and ethnic neighborhoods of San Francisco bring him new friends, challenges,and tragedy. In a blink of an eye, the old districts are disappearing. A nostalgic and bittersweet memory of a forgotten generation of characters who lived in the friendly, romantic town, filled with cheap amusements, factories, canneries, artists and bohemians, and easy living.