1970's Blackhill, Glasgow: 11-year-old Paul Ferris has learned quickly that life on the street is tough. Everyone knows their place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying. Growing up immersed in a culture of crime, Ferris finally snaps when tormented one too many times by a vicious gang of bullying neighbourhood brothers who have made his childhood a living hell. Now in his late teens, despite his father's advice and in the frustrated knowledge that the law enforcement and police do nothing to help, he decides to take on his tormentors alone and systematically wreak vengeance on them. Consequently attracting a street reputation, Ferris is sought out by the 'Godfather' of the Glaswegian gangster community, Arthur Thompson Snr. Again ignoring his father's advice, he starts to work for the gangland boss throughout the '80s and '90s, rising through the ranks.