Vincenzo Abruzzi, a young, out-of-work Italian-American male in 1950s New York, is approached by his cousin Paul after a neighborhood wise guy puts the word out that he needs to seed a few new spots. A chance meeting with this made man leads to a world of crime and excess after Vincenzo is given the chance to prove himself with a test run. Along the way, he meets both a nice Italian girl who could turn out to be wife material, as well as a seasoned "woman of the world," who opens him up to new possibilities. Juggling these women while concentrating on furthering his criminal career without getting whacked by a slew of new enemies proves to be more difficult that it first seemed, but the allure of mob life is also too irresistible, especially when he begins to rise up the ranks with unprecedented speed.