The Moth has bitten off more of East L.A. than he can chew, and is gnawed up himself by the neighborhood. On the fringes of serious crime, the Moth reveals himself as a man whose morals are largely good but whose ethics are shaky. He's battered by local forces – from the all-women Arpías gang to a manipulative detective who's forced him to fink out fellow crooks. It's a dark world where all good intentions go astray. The Moth's pawn-shop criminal schemes and his ambition to be the local Moriarty all tumble into disarray.

Each walk-in through his door is a chance at riches or death, each job a success or a lesson in abject humiliation. Stumble along with the Moth as he serves a tough, ironic world, never quite getting there.