Three boys grow up in an ethnic neighborhood, admiring the local gangsters. They swear an oath to be friends forever, but life takes then down different paths. 

One goes to prison, one becomes a cop, and one a mob boss. Ten years later, Nicky gets released and discovers the oath has been broken. Now someone must die.
 

SYNOPSIS:

NICKY FUSCO drives to Nino Tortella’s house and waits. Nino walks in, and is beaten with a bat and murdered. To confuse the medical examiner., Nicky sprinkles DNA evidence from multiple people before leaving.

Detective FRANKIE DONOVAN investigates and finds evidence pointing to people from his old neighborhood, and that’s his worst nightmare. Years ago, Frankie, Nicky, and TONY grew up together as youngsters in an Italian neighborhood: stealing cigarettes, working for wise guys, and taking an oath of friendship & honor. Nicky says if anyone breaks that oath, they’ll die.

Nicky falls in love with ANGELA at the age of fifteen, but then he gets involved in a gang fight. He shoots a rival who kills his friend, Tommy. Nicky is arrested and sent to prison. Ten years later, Nicky is released from prison and goes to see Tony, now a mobster in N.Y. Tony introduces Nicky to TITO, an organized crime boss. Nicky tells Tito he will do anything as long as he can make money to get Angela back.

Tito tells Nicky he wants him to become a hitman’s apprentice. Nicky accepts and kills three men who owe Tito money.

Tony suggests Tito use Nicky to take care of a woman (GINA) who is blackmailing Tito, because he knows that Nicky will probably say no. Secretly, Tony knows that sooner or later, Nicky will find out that Tony raped Angela, and he wants to get rid of Nicky before that happens.

Nicky agrees to kill Gina, but he can’t go through with it; instead, he helps her escape. Gina is shot in the head and heart while Nicky is at confession. It’s orchestrated by Tony. Frankie connects the dots that the killings are about a girl who was shot in the head and heart.

In the present, Nicky kills Tony and Tito. Frankie catches Nicky but surmises there isn’t enough evidence to hold him and suggests he disappear and find Angela. Nicky and Angela reunite.

FRIENDSHIP, HONOR, AND MURDER