The conclusion of the civil war marked the beginning of the industrial revolution in the United States, prompting immigrants from across the globe to travel there in search of their American dream. However, what most of them encountered was poverty, discrimination, and hopelessness. Manhattan, New York, was crowded with immigrants pouring through the ports, and the 6th district, Five Points, was regarded at the time as the world's worst slum. Mobsters corrupted the entire area, including the police, by paying them off; Five Points was mob territory, and they were the law. Yet even in Five Points, where robbery, prostitution, and murder seemed to be the only realities, there were signs of hope. Luke Burns was an honest and righteous teenager who understood that the mob was responsible for the harsh lifestyle and that joining the mobsters would not bring him the American dream. But his older brother, Brad Burns, had become the assassin for the largest mob group in Five Points, the Grave Diggers, a secret he kept from Luke to protect him. Brad was known as the Grim Reaper, and his reputation as a ruthless and skilled killer preceded him.