It's the early 1930s. Working their way up the ladder largely on chutzpah, Roch Sifreddi and François Capella, who became best friends in their unlikely partnership, have risen to the top of the organized crime world in Marseilles. Shortly after reaching the top, Capella is murdered. Sifreddi eventually learns that the murder was orchestrated by international businessman Giovanni Volpone, new to Marseilles from Italy, whose ultimate goal is to take control of the city in all aspects--legal and illegal. While Sifreddi sees Volpone's action as the start of a gangland war, Volpone has other thoughts in sending a longer-lasting message to Sifreddi and others who may want to fill his shoes. Volpone has specific reasons for wanting Marseilles--a war he will want to wage in most of the western world to reach his end goal. Standing by Sifreddi in this war is Lola, a former prostitute friend to both Sifreddi and Capella, who was Capella's girlfriend at the time of his death, and Sifreddi and Capella's loyal and long-serving head henchman, Fernand. In this battle, Sifreddi can no longer rely on the hands-off approach by the police, former Commissioner Fanti, who would only intervene if the tit-for-tat killings got out of hand. Fanti has now been replaced by Commissioner Cazenave, who is a little out of his element in dealing with such matters. Under the circumstances, the police may have their own ideas of what they would like to happen with Sifreddi and Volpone's war, especially as Volpone views the law as only applying to poor people.