New York, 1946: a metropolis torn between two recoveries—one from the wounds of war, the other from the shadows of criminal dominance. As American soldiers come home as heroes, the city's underbelly festers. Organized criminality has flourished in the name of patriotism and restoration. The Italian-American Mafia, led by the Five Families, has infiltrated not just the black markets for liquor, gambling, and prostitution, but also the very fabric of law enforcement, unions, and politics.