Kansas City, 1939. In a world of fixed fights and mob influence Ray Ward and his brother Rex are two of the only clean fighters in town. With Ray in the corner and Rex in the ring they are headed for the big time. Until that fateful night. Now Ray has a score to settle using a lifetime of lessons in how to fight back. Dean Fokoli is a detective with a new partner, an alcoholic wife and a guilty conscience. At least the boxer on the radio who just got beat to a pulp won't end up in his homicide file. But when the dregs of the crooked fight world start turning up dead, Fokoli is on the hunt for...

Hollywood, 1941 Ray Ward spends his nights thinking about his brother's death and the blood-soaked days that followed. Dean Fokoli is off the force, disgraced by his dirty dealings, left to scrape for pennies as a private eye. When Ray receives a mysterious package from his sister containing a plea for help and a reel of 8mm film, there's a problem - Ray doesn't have a sister. Now two former enemies must team up, travel halfway across the country to search the dark shadow of Hollywood's spotlight. In for more than they bargained for, Ray and Fokoli plunge behind the silver screen to unearth...