One day in the 1980s, Zvi Blum, a tiny Jewish teenager who lives in Greenheath on Long Island, is attacked by a boy referred to as the Anti-Semite. The Anti-Semite used to live with the other Jewish boys and attend their schools, but when it was found out that only his father was Jewish, he was kicked out of the yeshiva. In response, he begins inflicting violence, first on Zvi and then on the rest of the family.

Although Zvi’s mother called the police on the Anti-Semite in response to his violent act, the boys of the neighborhood decided to band together and topple the Anti-Semite once and for all. They meet with Ace Cohen, the biggest boy in the community. Still, he refuses to get involved, so they turn to Boris, a refusenik who escaped from Russia, who begins teaching them battle moves. They train but fail in their attempts to disarm the Anti-Semite.

The Anti-Semite’s violence increases, even going so far as to attack Zvi’s mother. This is the final straw for Ace Cohen, who agrees to fight the Anti-Semite himself. The boys set their villains up, and Ace Cohen comes in for the final blow. As they see the Anti-Semite knocked down onto the floor, defeated, the boys are overcome with guilt and confusion.