In a far from prestigious neighborhood of Chicago, the Gallagher family lives. The father, Frank, is a deadbeat and an alcoholic who is absent from home for weeks at a time. As a result, the eldest daughter, Fiona, is forced to keep the family afloat and take care of her four younger brothers and sister. They have to make do with very little, taking on any odd job they can find to make ends meet, and regularly find themselves in seemingly hopeless situations from which they struggle to escape, but they do it together.