The film is set in New York in the 1970s. The protagonists are a pair of brothers who are "blood-related", Chris, a gang member played by Clive Owen, and Frank, a policeman played by Billy Crudup. At the beginning of the film, Chris has just been released from prison. Frank takes him home, finds him a job, and helps him contact his ex-wife and children. As Chris gradually returns to the old ways of the gang, conflicts between the brothers inevitably break out. The two brothers have opposing positions and very different lives, but their fates are still closely linked by blood.