Chris Cristaldi, a small-time hustler from Chicago, is driven by a desperate love for Patti McGhee. His attempts to build a dream life for them, on a bartender’s salary, pull him into an escalating series of criminal schemes - from passing counterfeit bills to a high-stakes drug run. Examples set by his father, “Little Jimmy,” an associate of the Chicago Outfit and his brother, Ray, provide the blueprint for his life of crime. A two-year prison sentence at the Dixon Correctional Center does not deter him from further going off the rails. As his ambition deepens the danger, the loyalty of his brother and the love of his life are pushed to a breaking point, spiraling toward a tragic conclusion where the pursuit of the “good life” costs more than any of them can afford.