In the history of New York City's underworld, there have been a host of criminal figures whose exploits have gone on to inspire. Their stories are told on street corners and in back alleys. One of them is Jonas Rafferty, known among friends and enemies alike as Wrath. Jonas, the only boy in a family of four children, came into the world under less-than-favorable conditions, and he has always been a fighter. From the neighborhood bullies to his mother's live-in boyfriend who uses him and his siblings as punching bags, his life has always been one battle after another. At night, he lies awake and dreams of rising above his circumstances, and when he crosses paths with rogue homicide detective Louis 'Lou' Ceavers, he's offered a bargain that will change the course of his life.