A poor seven year old African American boy is devastated by the sudden death of the father he worshiped, followed by a serious illness hospitalizing his mother, forcing he and his seven brothers and sisters into a foster home where they are beaten and kept in a closet. Living in the city forces him to join a gang for survival. All he really wants is to get out of the city and make a life for himself, but the only way to make enough money to accomplish his dream is to strike some drug deals on his own. One fatal night finds the boy running for his life. Hiding in a friend's kitchen, he gets high, trying to ease the pain of what he knows is coming. No one cheats the gang and lives. He hears the apartment door crash through. Suddenly, he finds himself looking up the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun. His younger brother begs him to pay up. His life passes before his eyes - the death of his father, the warnings from his loving mother, and the end of his dream. He closes his eyes - the trigger is squeezed.
