When New York journalist Jake Bridges catches his girlfriend with another guy, he goes to Atlantic City to drink himself into oblivion. He is saved from a bar brawl by a small-time mobster Frankie. They make a deal of sorts: Frankie teaches Jake about life on the streets, and Jake walks Frankie through great literature. But Jake falls in love with Frankie's girlfriend Melissa and she is seduced by Jake's attentions as the three lives become increasingly intertwined in this extraordinary gangster film.