Reggie Cooper (Ja Rule) is a young man who lives with his father (Giancarlo Esposito) in order to avoid the violent gang activity that almost claimed his life when he was a teenager. However, when his recently paroled mentor, J-Bone (Ving Rhames) reconnects with Reggie, and when his father is murdered, Reggie slips back into a life of crime. Reggie murders a local preacher (Joe Morton), whose daughter (Tatyana Ali) later develops a relationship with him.