By the beginning of the 1980s, the Bronx had become a godforsaken slum, making it the ideal location for an epidemic. That epidemic arrived in the form of crack cocaine, which hit the streets with a savage force setting off an explosion of violent crime unlike anything ever seen before. The birth of crack brought with it more money, more guns, and more gangs, the faces of which were younger, hungrier, and more vicious than their predecessors.

In 1986, Hassan, a student of the streets, put those lessons to work, ascending above all other ghetto dons and planting his flag at the top of the drug game. After successfully merging the North and Southside, Hassan ceases control of the largest projects in The Bronx: The Edenwald Houses. With maximum power and unlimited resources, he and his crew reign supreme over the crack trade. But what crack giveth, crack taketh away, as jealousy, rival crews, and the federal government begin chipping away at his once mighty empire.

Enter Rhae, a beautiful around-the-way girl, raised in the same unforgiven streets. After falling in love with Hassan, she tries convincing him to leave the game behind. But old habits die hard, and the allure is stronger than either one of them could imagine, proving to be easier said than done.