Bob and Joanna, both over 40 years old, have a baby with the Down syndrome. Their doctor advises them to give the child away, not to "waste their time" with a kid with a mental deficiency. But the parents decide to keep their son, to allow him a life with dignity and to support him as best as possible. And their devotion bears fruit...

J. T. Gamble, a shy, withdrawn Harlem youngster, shows compassion and responsibility when he takes on the care of an old, one-eyed, badly injured alley cat days before Christmas and secretly nurses it back to health.

A doctor's relationship with a terminally ill child adds pressure to her already rocky marriage as she spends more time with her patient and gradually neglects her home life.

A famous jazz trumpeter finds himself unable to cope with the problems of everyday life.