It's 1918, and Youngstown, Ohio, is brewing with social unrest as Italian and Irish immigrants vie for living space and low-paying jobs in the local steel mills. Amidst the discord, Abramo Cardone arrives from Italy hoping to escape the pain of his wife and child's deaths. His uncle secures him a job at the steel mill, where he tries to bury his loneliness in work. Instead, he attracts the attention of two Irish men, one who wants to give him a leg up and one who wants to tear him down. In the thick of the violent power struggle that develops, Abramo is offered a wonderful gift-but he'll have to fight to claim it.