Upon returning from Vietnam, Vince Ginetta (Alex Cord) marries the lovely Emma Bertolo (Susan Strasberg), the daughter of Mafia kingpin Dominic (Luther Adler). On the day of the wedding, Vince's older brother, Frank (Kirk Douglas), a made man of the Old World mold, hears that Dominic may have had a hand in their father's murder. As the newly well-connected Vince rises to prominence in the mob, Frank struggles with jealously -- and with his desire to avenge their father's death.