One night when they were young boys on the streets of Harlem, escaping the turbulent home of their alcoholic mother, Doreen (Cathy Moriarty), brothers Mick (Michael Raynor) and Lex (Nick Chinlund) were abused by a uniformed policeman. As adults, Mick became a cop himself, but still carries the emotional scars of the attack. Nick, who landed in juvenile detention after fighting the cop off, is a small-time drug dealer whose relationship with girlfriend Debbie (Rosie Perez) is falling apart.