Bobby Stano had everything going for him. Fresh out of high school, he was signed to the majors, had a beautiful girlfriend, everything was looking up. That is, until he and his friends get into a fight with a neighboring gang. The confrontation results in an accidental fatality and quickly changes Bobby's life forever. He's found guilty of murder and locked in prison for the next thirteen years. When Bobby is released, he's faced with a vilified reputation, a relationship to rekindle and a new life to find.

Buddy Visalo (Michael Rispoli) is a factory worker, a frustrated crooner who once had a shot at the big time. Buddy's dreams of greatness have been reduced to an endless series of failed moneymaking schemes. His latest is buying a two-family house for him and his wife, Estelle (Katherine Narducci) and converting the ground floor into a neighborhood bar where he can perform. The wrench in the works is that he also inherits the upstairs tenants, Mary,a pregnant Irish girl fresh off the boat (Kelly Macdonald) and her abusive, alcoholic husband, Jim (Kevin Conway). As Buddy's gang of Italians tries to handle the situation, the girl goes into labor, and a baby is born, forcing them all to confront the limits of their tolerance and compassion.