An intelligent young woman with dreams of becoming a doctor becomes inadvertently swept up into the high stakes world of organized crime with a felon whom she falls in love with.

SYNOPSIS:

We open on VERONICA, a beautiful, spirited medical student in the midst of a boring lecture. We then enter a flashback to MAYOR BRESCIA giving a fiery stump speech years earlier. Young Veronica is driven to school by her biological father, only for the car to be rammed by a van full of masked assailants, who murder her father in cold blood. The Henchmen then take Veronica with them. Back to the present, Veronica is stumped by a question from the LECTURER. Leaving campus, Veronica is picked up by MATTEO, her cousin and driver contracted by her adoptive father, Mayor Brescia. At the Brescia estate, Veronica speaks with her doting mother MRS. BRESCIA, but it's clear her relationship with the family is somewhat strained. She looks over a photo album of old memories with melancholy in her eyes.

Entering another flashback, we see UNCLE ROSSI, a mafia don, being gunned down by NEPHEW ROSSI, a young buck eager to take his place. We then cut to Mayor Brescia in his office, meeting with Nephew Rossi, who asks him for four million dollars to finance the syndicate's expansion. On his way out, Nephew Rossi runs into Veronica, who then goes to see her father. She asks him about her biological father, but Mayor Brescia doesn't give much information up. Outside the estate, we learn that Nephew Rossi and Matteo have an insidious secret plan of their own. At an Irish pub, JAMESON, a lively, wild young man drinks with his best friend MARSHALL. Jameson talks with the dowdy BAR MAID, then starts hitting on a BUSTY BLONDE, who he quickly charms and brings home for a one night stand.

Back at the Brescia estate, Mayor Brescia enters Veronica's room and tells her of her biological parents. Her father was a partner of his who was laundering money and got in too deep, causing various criminal elements to get reprisal by assassinating him. He also reveals that Veronica's biological mother was killed by the same Henchmen. After the Blonde leaves, Jameson talks to Marshall about a plan to make some quick cash. As it turns out, they're criminals armed with a large stash of weapons. Italian gangsters uptown have now brought on Jameson to pull off a hijacking. After a speech, Mayor Brescia speaks with his ADVISORS, and it becomes clear that he mixes politics with corrupt enterprises. Meanwhile, at his den, a refined black gangbanger named JULIUS addresses his soldiers, who are looking for a solution to their financial woes.

Outside of Veronica's college, Matteo speaks with Jameson about the upcoming hijacking -- it turns out he's the one who's planning the job. Veronica approaches and asks to be introduced to Jameson, intrigued by him. Veronica questions Matteo about his acquaintance, then boldly asks Jameson out to dinner. He readily accepts, much to Matteo's chagrin. Back at the estate, Matteo tells Veronica it would be unwise to tell her father about Jameson, and they come up with a ruse wherein she'll say Matteo is taking her to the movies instead. Mrs. Brescia then leads Veronica to meet someone: ROMAN, a slick young associate of the Mayor's who is a cousin of Veronica's. Mayor Brescia says Roman should take Veronica out to dinner the following day, but she says she wouldn't be able to due to a prior engagement. Roman agrees to meet the following week instead.

DANIEL, a police officer and Julius's identical twin, is called by his partner JACK to tip him off to the hijacking plot which they've learned about. Daniel says goodbye to his young DAUGHTER, who fears that people will mistake Daniel for his brother, the "bad guy." His WIFE then confronts him over their money problems, prompting Daniel to promise he'll pick up more shifts. Julius speaks with Jameson, who tells him of the robbery he's going to pull and the haul of narcotics that will come out of it. Julius then asks one of his minions to get four million dollars together to make the purchase. As Veronica prepares for her covert date with Jameson, Matteo warns her that the guy she's smitten with is dangerous -- but she could care less. Jameson informs Marshall that he's planning a double cross; to take the drugs for himself then sell them. Marshall is concerned but agrees to go along with it. Matteo then shows up to brief them on the dangerous hijacking, and reminds Jameson of his date with Veronica.

Jack talks to Daniel and informs him that he's gotten word of Julius's involvement in the hijacked drug shipment. Buddy asks Daniel why he doesn't just cash in and cross his brother to get paid, which Daniel dismisses outright. Matteo picks up Veronica for her rendezvous with Jameson. Over a fancy dinner out, Jameson chats up Veronica. Meanwhile, at a nearby table, none other than Roman spots them and grows enraged. He talks to the waitress and gets Jameson's name. Back at the table, Jameson rushes out of the restaurant with Veronica, leaving their chaperone Matteo in the dust. He takes her to his favourite Irish pub, where she meets Marshall and they drink until the wee hours. Jameson brings Marshall home to rest. Veronica confronts him and asks directly if he's trying to use her for her family money -- it turns out that Marshall spilled the beans to her about the plan while drunk. Jameson admits it's true, but also states that he really has feelings for Veronica. Passion overtakes them and the pair begin making love.

After sex, Veronica opens up to Jameson about her tragic past and her dreams of becoming a doctor one day. She mentions that she's trapped with the Mayor, but Jameson swears to take her with him after his big score. He tells her "when I say 'run,' you run." Roman stops by the Brescia house and leaves off some flowers for Veronica, charming Mrs. Brescia. He then hires a PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR to follow Veronica. Mrs. Brescia urges Veronica to reciprocate Roman's advances, but Veronica pushes back and wants to choose her own destiny. Jack and Daniel sit in their cruiser on a stakeout. Just then, REDDY and STIFFY, Jameson's cohorts, clad in disguises as fellow cops, approach and trick them into leaving the scene under the guise of a bureaucratic snafu. Nephew Rossi then meets up with Matteo, plying him to turn on Mayor Brescia and cut him out. Reddy and Stiffy steal the truck of narcotics intended to reach the Mayor while Jameson disguises himself as a crossing officer and successfully pull off the heist. Jameson then calls Mayor Brescia and, using a fake voice, tells him that he's been knocked over by Nephew Rossi and Matteo.

Marshall murders the driver of the truck that was stolen, then goes to meet up with Jameson and the rest of the crew at Julius's place, where they make the exchange. Nephew Rossi and Matteo show up at the Brescia estate and try to talk their way out of the double cross, only to be brutally murdered by Mayor Brescia. After being chewed out by the CHIEF for getting duped, Jack and Daniel are now put on the defensive, in desperate need of a break in the case. They decide to go shake down Julius and re-claim the pilfered narcotics. Mayor Brescia's HEAVIES dispose of Rossi and Matteo's bodies, then take Matteo's cell phone. Jack and Daniel meet up with a RAT and shake him down to get the location of the dope. The Heavies find the connection to Jameson and Veronica through Roman and relay it back to Mayor Brescia.

In the meantime, Jameson heads to the Brescia estate and takes Veronica off to run away with him. Meanwhile, Julius is taken into custody by Jack and Daniel, who then interrogate him roughly and get Jameson's name, as well as the truth about Matteo, Nephew Rossi, and Mayor Brescia. The Heavies show up at Jameson's apartment only to find Marshall alone there. They shake him up, but he doesn't talk. Some time later, Veronica and Jameson arrive to hunker down and Marshall departs to give them some privacy. Jack turns up to speak with Mayor Brescia, who by now knows that his daughter's missing. Jack collects a photo of Veronica and pledges to help find her. This picture, combined with a sketch artist's rendition of Jameson, is then sent out to ever newspaper in town. Jack and Daniel show up at the Irish Pub Jameson frequented and find Marshall there. They arrest him, but he refuses to crack and give up Jameson. The following morning, Jameson and Veronica are set to make their escape, but when he goes out to get breakfast, Jameson sees himself in the newspaper as a wanted man and knows he has to move. As he does so, he is spotted by the Heavies, who close on in on his location. As cops and crooks alike converge on them, will the star crossed lovers make it to freedom in the face of overwhelming odds, or will their dreams be forever dashed?