After a bloody showdown with the mob, grocer Sal Benno is being left in peace—at least for now. But he carries a gun and looks over his shoulder as he goes about his business. Sal’s lifelong friend, Leo, is also still in the gritty waterfront town of Narrows Gate—for the time being. Unlike Sal, he has a woman in his life and a promising future at CBS across the river, though the Red Scare hangs over the network and threatens his career.
Meanwhile, in Sicily, an exiled Mafia boss works to protect his weakened empire from rivals and opportunists, darting around the world as the CIA tries to keep a tail on him. With chaos ruling in the wake of a crackdown on organized crime, the effects are felt from Havana to Hollywood, Las Vegas to Greece—and in the lives of Sal, Leo, and those they love. In this novel that takes readers into back alleys and halls of power, the two must struggle to hold their friendship and their community together, even as they are driven to desperation.