Tony is pursuing the twin, but at times conflicting, dreams of becoming a property tycoon and building a drug empire. He maintains an uneasy truce with Melbourne's criminal royalty, the Carlton Crew, and with the help of a few bent cops, his rise is irresistible. But his friendship with sworn enemy of the Carlton Crew, Carl Williams, jeopardises it all.

Tony has a new club, a new girlfriend, Danielle McGuire, and a string of heavy-duty drug imports worth millions. Then, a trial importation of a trivial three kilos of cocaine from Mexico threatens to bring him undone. Police agent Billy Fischer passes on everything Tony tells him to his state police Drug Squad handlers and they pass it on to the Federal Police.

When corruption in the Drug Squad is exposed, the domestic drug charges against Tony collapse and he is set free - but the Mexican cocaine importation charge survives. Tony decides to stick to local drug operations from now on, but his friendship with the increasingly dangerous Carl, who's picking off the Carlton Crew one by one, is the albatross around his neck.

The Federal Police bring Tony to trial for the Mexican cocaine job. Realising that he may have to do serious time, Tony takes a massive gamble and recruits a pair of unlikely clean-skins to take over his drug empire. Meanwhile, Carl is arrested to stop any more gangland murders. Not prepared to trust the legal system, Tony flees the country whilst in the middle of his cocaine trial.

Tony hides out in the Melbourne suburbs before heading to a farm up country. Meanwhile, the Mexican coke trial concludes and he's found guilty. With additional charges still looming, Tony now feels that his best option is to leave the country. He recruits someone he knows from the gambling clubs and persuades him to organise an ocean-going yacht to spirit him away to Greece.

While Tony fights seasickness all the way to Greece, his pregnant girlfriend Danielle McGuire trips through Europe to meet him. Back in Melbourne, the government posts a handsome reward for information leading to Tony's arrest just as one of his disgruntled employees comes forward with valuable information - including a mobile phone number Tony is known to call regularly.