Dan is a poet who falls in love with two kinds of Candy: a woman of the same name and heroin. As Dan goes from a smart-aleck to someone trying to find a vein to inject, Candy changes from an actress to a streetwalker and then a madwoman. Starting in Sydney, the two eventually end up in Melbourne to try and go clean, but they fail. This leads them to turn to finding money and heroin, while other posessions and attachments become unimportant.

Presents a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out at Sherman Square or "Needle Park" in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a small-time thief and addict, and Helen, a homeless girl abandoned by her lover after an illegal abortion.