Henry Hill, a wannabe mobster, sets up the biggest heist in American history to that point, but can't fully cash in because he isn't Italian; he never sees the icy treachery behind the facade and must become a rat to survive.

For 30 years, Vincent Gigante pretends to be insane to evade justice, but behind the crazy act lurks the vicious, scheming, murdering boss of one of New York's five crime families.