This gritty inner-city film follows various people living in a troubled New Jersey setting, most notably Nick Rinaldi, a disillusioned contractor who has been helped along his whole life by his wealthy father. Other characters in this ensemble drama about urban conflict and corruption include Asteroid , an unstable homeless person, and Wynn, an idealistic young politician.

Rob Greene has information about an undercover terror team inside the CIA led by Joe Connelly. To stay alive with the knowledge, he is advised to stay undercover by his supervisor Andrews. Connelly's men try to kill Greene, but he can escape and warns his son Danny that he also may be in danger and that he should look for Dog Thompson.