For Thomas "Tom" Furroco, life ended when the love of his life succumbed to cancer in her thirties. He began drinking heavily, and his destructive behavior eventually lost him everything-even his three sons. Shortly after starting over and finding work as a mechanic, Tom is approached about joining a union, but the thought makes him uneasy. If he doesn't join, will he lose his job? After a representative of a second union approaches Tom with an intriguing job offer, he figures that a new path is opening for him.
Through the tightening net of dirty union tactics, he helps the upstairs bosses of a New York City union establish themselves in shops along the East Coast before becoming a "boss" himself. Tom struggles internally with doubts and questions but also finds hope and adventure. By some miracle, he finally finds true love again and escapes the mob and their shady tactics. Tom, leading an honest and decent life once again, becomes truly happy. But when he runs into an old union acquaintance and friend, his past catches up with him. Will Tom get sucked back into the corrupt dealings of the union, or will the bosses permanently silence him?