It"s the spring of 1957 in Harlem where Nate Holt, a former police officer, now works as a bartender at Wally"s Tavern. Over the years he has gained a quiet reputation as a man who will take risks and break laws, too, when it comes to helping friends and associates solve dangerous problems. But his double-life is something that his one love, Lillian Warren, is completely unaware of. However, when he vows to do all he can to stem the epidemic flow of heroin into the neighborhood, he finds himself facing a series of unexpected consequences.