Ray (Adrian Brody) is determined not to imitate his father, a petty mobster who destroyed his life with foolish mistakes. Unfortunately, Ray seems doomed to follow in his old man's footsteps. Eager to marry his waitress girlfriend, Ray borrows $10,000 from a local loan shark when he hears about a sure thing at the racetrack. But when the horse loses, Ray is overwhelmed with debt. Worse, he finds his girlfriend in the arms of his best friend.