Fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis is walking home alone when he is attacked by the Greasers’ rivals, the Socs. A group of Greasers hear Ponyboy’s cries and rush to his aid. Ponyboy’s rescuers are: his brother Sodapop and Darry (Ponyboy’s oldest brother) who has responsibility over his brothers. The rest of the Greasers are: Johnny, Dally, Steve and Two-Bit. One day Ponyboy gets home late, and his brother Darry is furious with him. Darry loses control and slaps Ponyboy. Ponyboy has never been hit by his older brother before, therefore he is full of grief so he runs away. He finds Johnny, and the two boys’ head for the park to cooldown. There they encounter a group of Soc boys. The Socs attack Johnny and Ponyboy. When Ponyboy regains consciousness,