In depression-era 1935, every kid from the East Bronx dreams of a better life. One fearless boy, Billy from Bathgate Avenue, is the thousand-to-one shot to make something of himself. Street-wise, and armed with sharp, cunning instincts, Billy is convinced that joining mobster Dutch Schultz's gang is his passport to the good life. Resolved to be recognized and accepted by the racketeer, he starts out as a flunky for the crime ring and finds himself surrounded by ruthless mobsters, including the glamorous Bo Weinberg and numbers wizard Otto Berman. A quick study, the lad catches on to what it takes to succeed, and soon, under the watchful eye of Schultz, Billy graduates from lackey to trusted confidant. But life in the underworld is filled with mistrust and suspicion, and as Dutch's power and control wane, Billy must rely on everything he's learned from his mentor to save his own skin and carve a personal niche in the rackets.
