Robert De Niro stars in his directorial debut as Lorenzo Anello, a dutiful father and blue-collar bus driver from the harsh New York City borough of the Bronx whom tries desperately to keep his...

Robert De Niro stars in his directorial debut as Lorenzo Anello, a dutiful father and blue-collar bus driver from the harsh New York City borough of the Bronx whom tries desperately to keep his son Calogero from surrendering to the temptation of organized crime. When Calogero witnesses Mafia kingpin Sonny (Chaz Palminteri) commit murder, he decides to honor the "code of the streets" and offers no information to the cops when interrogated. Consequently, a friendship is forged between Sonny and Calogero, and--against his father's wishes--the young man joins the Mafia. Calogero respects his father, though can not seem to shake his new lifestyle, but when push comes to shove it is his father who must confront the mob and save his son's life, leaving Calogero to re-examine the magnitude of his father's honest work ethics.