Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration was publicly humiliated by Leone, and has now arrived on the scene to ensure that Leone never sees the light of day.

Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Ivan Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.

An English teacher and struggling single mother has her life disrupted when the father who abandoned her as a child comes back into her life.