Anthony Curtis is a bright 18-year-old from the Bronx who, in 1968, is stepping into manhood. Choosing not to immediately enroll in college, Anthony decides to leave his mentor Kirby, girlfriend Juanita Benson and her sister Delilah, to enlist in the Marine Corps. His buddy Skip and friend Jose soon join him. It is 1972 when Anthony returns to his neighborhood, only to discover that he is not treated as a hero. Though for a while he manages a part-time job in a butcher's shop, Anthony, with his girlfriend Juanita, who bore his daughter shortly after he enlisted, is living in an infested South Bronx apartment, barely making ends meet. Afforded little respect, and eventually unemployed and desperate, Anthony feels he has no alternative but to take part in a scheme to obtain some "dead presidents"--a slang term for cash. He believes that one well-executed score will secure a chance at a better life for himself, for his daughter and for the people of his community.