Marco was sent to prison for several years after subsequently killing a member of a rival neighborhood gang, the Deuces. Marco provided the 'hot shot' of heroin to the older brother of the Deuces leader, Leon, played by actor Stephen Dorff. The 'gangs' in this movie are based during the mid to late fifties and are much different from the gangs of today. The Deuces formed their group/gang to protect their 'block' from drug's that were being brought into their neighborhood by Marco's gang.Upon Marco's release from prison he immediately begins his efforts to carry out his revenge upon the Deuces and subsequently take over the neighborhood completely by pushing drugs on the 'block'. What Marco doesn't know is that his incarceration did not come at the hands of the person he blames.