Set in the 1930s, the Tempio Brothers - Ray, Chez, and Johnny - work with the mob. Ray is the cool and methodical type, Chez is an angry man who tends to fly off the handle, and Johnny is the odd man out, whose work with labor unions has given him a strong interest in socialism. When Johnny is murdered by rival mobster Gaspare, it has a profound effect on his brothers. Ray is determined to seek revenge, even though his wife Jeanette, realizing a reprisal will only lead to more violence, begs him to reconsider, while Chez begins losing his tenuous grip on reality, causing no small discomfort for his wife Clara. In time, both brothers are forced to deal with the ugly repercussions of their family's long-standing criminal lifestyle.