Gangster drama charting the rise and fall of mobster Paul Castellano, who rose through the ranks of New York City's Gambino crime family with the help of his considerable intelligence, and was picked to become the reigning don of the family in the 1970s. Flush with his power, he charts a new course for the Mob with the emphasis on a low-profile approach exploiting quiet crime business, such as labour union control, while promising to use murderous severity on anyone he catches dealing with drugs.