How does retired cop Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) get two career criminals, Manny Durrell (Sidney Poitier) and Dave Anderson (Bill Cosby), to follow the straight and narrow? Con them into helping juvenile delinquents turn over a new leaf. But how? Burke has never been able to nail the duo, but he uses what he knows of their seedy past to blackmail them into volunteering.
A widower with three children is working on a business deal to get his family out of financial straits when he is killed in a taxi accident. With the aid of a paranormal researcher, he attempts to complete the deal from the beyond, ensuring his family will be taken care of.