New York the 1970s. Jewish migrs settle in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn fleeing the oppression of Communist Russia. Among the Soviet refugees are criminals intent on realizing their version of the American Dream. In partnership with the Italian Mafia the Russian gangsters engage in billion dollar gasoline scams. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian crime groups go global, trafficking drugs, weapons and women. Rival Russian brigades battle for control of Brooklyns lucrative rackets. The result is bloodshed on the streets of New York.