Long separated from his Russian family, hit man Joshua (Tim Roth) returns to Brighton Beach for a contract killing for the Russian Mafia. His abusive father, Arkady (Maximilian Schell), banned him from returning after Joshua committed his first murder. He takes up residence in a hotel, and soon everyone knows he has returned. He goes home to visit his dying mother, Irina (Vanessa Redgrave), and prepares for the assassination, getting drawn back into the criminal community he left behind.