It is the late 1950's. Max Lewis is a 19-year-old who lives with his parents, a lower- middle-class-family on the west side of Chicago. His parents, despite a lack of religious affiliation, have raised Max with a strong moral and ethical code of hard work, strict adherence to the law, and doing what's right at all times. In this setting we find Max Lewis learning about, and coming to grips with, the values of trust, honor, the politics of work, and increasingly complicated relationships with women.